


EXO_LAY10

by Finnyan



Category: EXO (Band)
Genre: Action, Alternate Universe - Robots & Androids, Alternate Universe - Spies & Secret Agents, Android Zhang Yixing, Androids, Angst, Blood and Violence, Bromance, Friendship, Gen, Hurt/Comfort, Inspired by Detroit: Become Human, Male Friendship, Minor Injuries, No Romance, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Team as Family, Zhang Yi Xing | Lay-centric
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-21
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2019-11-01 19:33:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 22,025
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17873477
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finnyan/pseuds/Finnyan
Summary: A group of young agents does their best to complete any hard and dangerous mission they receive.However, the government decides to give them an assistant, the android EXO_LAY10.Not really happy about the weird robot in their house, the group has to work together and soon realizes that the android is more than just a machine.





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Hello!  
> This is my second EXO work and I hope you'll like it!  
> Everything you need to know is in the tags. :)
> 
> Enjoy the small prologue!

 

The first time, EXO_LAY10 opened its eyes, there were several people staring at it, armed with notebooks, clipboards and cameras. They did a few tests, asked for information to check the android’s database and made it move around, grabbing a glass of water and even knitting a scarf to analyze its sleight of hand. It passed everything with flying colors and was shut down again.

  
  
The second time, EXO_LAY10 opened his eyes, he saw himself in a mirror, recognizing his naked figure with a thin layer of artificial skin that hid all his technology. Some scientists were standing around him, observing his reaction of seeing himself. EXO_LAY10 could see how the screen was disguised as his eyes, shining blue as his software analyzed his surroundings. He didn’t wear any clothes, but there was no sense of shame, no sense of temperature apart from his installed thermometer. 21,2°C, 46% humidity and 19,8% oxygen content. He knew all that, but couldn’t feel the warmth on his skin nor the air in his fake lungs. He was no human, he was a machine, an android that looked like a human being. Male, East-Asian, 177cm tall, 69kg. He didn’t need to drink, eat or sleep and he would never develop the ability of having desires, wishes or real emotions. His program knew the facial expressions of feelings to communicate with humans properly, but there was no deeper meaning in them than just the algorithms of his artificial intelligence that was constantly learning and remembering new information.

His body was armed with flexible joints, a strong engine and high-tech cameras and microphones to act as his senses. He could hear and see better than any human, was able to analyze smell with his nose and ingredients with his tongue. A language program not only gave him the ability to speak, but also to understand several languages. So far, he knew Korean, Chinese and English. His memory capacity was beyond humanity and even the newest computers would look like discarded metal next to him.

EXO_LAY10 was the tenth try of optimizing the android and it took them seven years to write the software and billions of won to finance everything.  
But in the end, it was worth it.  
EXO_LAY10 did his last tests, showed his fast self-repair program before he was being put into ‘sleep’ again.

  
  
The third time, EXO_LAY10 opened his eyes, he was just called Lay. And today was his official birthday, 7th October 2019. He got an ID card, a driver’s license and clothes. His existence was top secret and Lay might be one of the most powerful A.I.s that were ever invented in history.

“Lay, please tell me your five rules,” a woman’s voice said in a professional tone, standing in front of him as his last obstacle until he would see the outside world.  
“Protect your ward. Listen to your ward’s orders. Never kill a human being. Rule number three is more important than number two. Rule one is above all other rules in case of an emergency.” He still looked stiff, voice too emotionless and eyes too dull to make a friendly expression. Humanity, humor, irony and so on wasn’t part of his software. This could be learnt during his stay at his new home and new experiences.  
“Who are your wards, Lay?” the woman asked.    
“EXO. A group of secret agents of the South Korean government, consisting of eight members. Kim Junmyeon, alias Suho. Kim Minseok, alias Xiumin. Byun Baekhyun. Kim Jongdae, alias Chen. Park Chanyeol. Do Kyungsoo, alias D.O. Kim Jongin, alias Kai. And Oh Sehun.”  
“Alright, Lay. You are ready.” The women is smiling now and the android raised the corners of his mouth one second later. Together, they left the room.

 


	2. EXO

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EXO is busy with a mission, not knowing that a certain android is on his way to their hideout.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here is the first real chapter.  
> The group gets introduced!
> 
> Enjoy!

“Alright, I hacked the cameras,” D.O said into his headset while his eyes were focused on his laptop. The van was completely dark inside and it was like he was in his own world with the screen as the only illuminant. His hands were a bit sweaty from the dammed up heat, but he wasn’t the type to complain. At least his haircut prevented the damp strands to fall into his eyes, but they were still sticking against his forehead.   
“I can give you around eight seconds,” he explained, waiting for an answer so that he could deactivate the cameras that were listed on his screen. One showed the entrance, unimportant for them right now since the others had already managed to sneak into the gigantic company building. The next camera was focused on an empty hallway, very important for them, because according to Suho, their first destination was behind one of those doors that you could see through the screen.

Suho was the leader of the group, not the bravest or strongest member, but with a great ability to look over everyone and to get every needed information in time. Apart from that, he was a good driver, the reason why he was also sitting in the van together with D.O, telling them instructions through a microphone and ready to start the engine as soon as everyone would come back.   
“Chanyeol, Kai, Sehun,” Suho addressed the first group while he was looking at the building plan in his lap. “You only have one try when he’ll leave his office. The others are waiting at the toilet on the 15th floor. Don’t take the elevator and don’t drop your act.”  
“ _Of course not. We’re no idiots. Kai will do it_ ,” Sehun answered. Suho could bet that the youngest of the group just rolled with his eyes at his comment.   
“ _We got it._ ” Chanyeol’s voice sounded raspy as he whispered into the small microphone that was hidden at his collar.   
“D.O. will give you the signal.”

 

  
*

 

  
Kai took a deep breath, correcting his suit before he glanced over his shoulder, checking if the door was still closed. Sehun and Chanyeol were right next to him, talking to their leader while he prepared himself for his task. The fake key card cut a thin line into the skin of his palm as he tightened his grip. Eight seconds wasn’t much, but he was fast. He knew his techniques, knew the clothes of his opponent and the form of the card.   
The three of them were disguised as normal employees, dressed in black suits with counterfeit name tags around their necks and little earphones in their ears to communicate with the rest of them.

Suddenly, he heard how a door was opened and right afterwards, D.O’s voice reached his ears.   
“ _Go_.”

Kai turned around the corner, several papers in his hands while he hurried through the hallway, not looking ahead but pretending to read the documents. Three seconds later, he crashed into someone and heard a loud groan.   
“Look out, you clumsy idiot!” the man cursed at him while Kai fished the key card out of his pocket and put the fake one in within two seconds.   
“Excuse me!” Kai bowed for another two seconds and continued to walk along the hallway until the next corner and disappeared from the camera’s view.  
“ _Good job_ ,” D.O praised him, seemingly content with Kai’s work.

 

  
*

 

  
“Urg, put your stinky feet out of my face!” Chen whined, already stressed since he, Baekhyun and Xiumin were stuck in the ventilation shaft since almost an hour, crawling around until they had finally reached the toilet. Xiumin sighed as the two younger members started to argue.   
“Shut up, I showered today-”  
“Guys!” the oldest hissed. “Keep quiet.”  
“Sorry, Xiumin…”  
“ _We’re on the way_ ,” Kai said through the communicator. “ _Chanyeol and Sehun observe Eun Tae Kyung. I guess we have around twenty minutes until he finds out that his card is a fake now._ ”  
“Alright. We’re waiting, Kai,” Xiumin answered and looked back to the others. “Inform Suho.”  
“Got it,” Chen nodded, telling their leader about their status before asking for the direction to their next destination.

 

  
*

 

  
Kai was known for his poker face in the group. It was like he was wearing a mask and the others often said that Korea had lost a great actor with him. He greeted every person he met at the hallway with a quick bow and a friendly smile. As soon as he was alone, he placed the fake documents on a table and turned right, approaching the restrooms.

When he entered the tiled room, he could smell citrus fruits and disinfectant. He quickly checked if he was really alone before he whistled two times, slid the key card through the slit of the ventilation shaft and left the room. His task was done so he could leave the building and join Suho and D.O in the van.

Meanwhile, Xiumin had grabbed the key card and meanwhile, Chen got the instructions from Suho on how to reach their destination. They crawled through the shaft on all fours, finding their way through the metallic labyrinth.   
“We need maybe ten minutes,” Xiumin whispered against his collar. “You think, it’ll be enough later?”  
“ _It has to_ ,” D.O answered.

 

  
*

 

  
They reached their destination in nine minutes. Baekhyun unscrewed the ventilation grille before he waited for D.O’s okay.   
“ _Eight seconds, guys_.”  
“That’s more than enough. You sure there’re no other cameras inside?”  
“ _No cameras, no windows and no shaft to escape_ ,” Suho explained. “ _Be careful_.”  
“Yes.”  
“ _Alright. Eight seconds in three…two…one._ ”  
“Go!”

Baekhyun jumped out of the opening, followed by Chen and Xiumin. The oldest took the key card out and deactivated the log of the door before they slipped into the room.   
“We’re in,” Chen announced and pulled a USB stick out of his pocket. There was only one computer on a desk in the spare room. As soon as he connected the stick with the computer, the screen turned blue. Letters and numbers were running down the screen until the software hacked the password two minutes later.   
“Bingo~.” Baekhyun grinned and connected another USB stick with the computer before he started to search for the right folders and documents they needed so he could copy them.   
“ _How long does it take?_ ” D.O asked.   
“Seven minutes and forty seconds.”  
“ _I don’t think we have that much left._ ”  
“What?” Xiumin stopped short, pressing the earphone against his head as if he couldn’t hear him properly. But D.O repeated himself with the same message.   
“What happened?” Chen asked.   
“ _Eun Tae Kyung noticed the fake too soon. Chanyeol and Sehun try to buy you some time, but you have to leave the room as soon as possible. When they catch you inside, you’re trapped._ ”  
“Tell us, when the security comes.”  
“ _Min- Xiumin_ ,” D.O corrected himself. “ _It’ll be too dangerous_.”  
“We planned this for two months. I trust Chanyeol and Sehun.”  
“ _Have to see what can be done_ ,” Suho piped up.   
“Thank you.”

 

  
*

 

  
“ _Kai_.”  
“Yes?”  
“ _We have to buy the others time. Prepare for Plan B,_ ” Suho said. Kai could hear the rustling of papers in the background. The leader seemed to check the building plan again.   
“This could blow our cover. Are you sure?”  
“ _They just think that the key card is defect so far. Maybe we can still go unnoticed._ ”  
“Okay. I’ll look for one.”  
“ _Thank you. I’ll tell you if we need to activate it._ ”

 

  
*

 

  
Chanyeol and Sehun observed their target while sitting in the lobby, looking at the information counter. They could see how the woman behind the desk began to check the key card before giving it back to Eun Tae Kyung and pointed to the left side. He bowed quickly and hurried over to the security door. Chanyeol and Sehun looked at each other, sensing that something was wrong.   
“How long will they need to reach the others?” Sehun asked.   
“They’re at the 14th floor now. With the elevator, in less than two minutes,” Chanyeol muttered before he radioed the other group. “Xiumin. How long?”  
“ _Four minutes_.”  
“Shit.”  
In that moment, their target and a bunch of security guards left the room and hurried towards the elevators. Chanyeol and Sehun stood up.   
“They found out, Suho!”  
“ _Kai is ready for Plan B. It should be enough time for you guys to flee!_ ”  
“Got it!”

And a few seconds later, the fire alarm echoed through the lobby.

 

  
*

 

  
The shrill sound surprised Xiumin and the others. They knew that they only had a few minutes left to get out of this building.   
“How much longer?!” Xiumin asked.   
“Two minutes!” Baekhyun could feel how he began to sweat. Chen started to cover his mouth and nose with a face mask and did the same with Baekhyun while the other was occupied with focusing on the screen. Xiumin covered himself as well, one hand already around the door handle.   
“Come on. Come on. Come on. Come on,” Baekhyun muttered like a mantra, drumming his fingers on the table as the little window of the copying process finally disappeared. He pulled the USB out.   
“Let’s scam!”

They rushed out of the room and ran towards the stairs. The fire alarm was still ringing and they assumed that most people already left the building. When Xiumin looked down the staircase, he stopped. Chen and Baekhyun crashed against his back but managed to catch themselves in the last second.   
“They’re coming!” Xiumin hissed and pushed the others back to the hallway where they came from. Since the elevators where now deactivated, the security guards had begun to run up the stairs.   
“Where to?!” Chen asked, looking left and right.   
“This way!” Baekhyun said and the three men sprinted down the hallway, hoping to find another exit.   
“Suho! Which way?!” Xiumin screamed into the microphone.   
“ _The next one left. Straight forward. At the end of the corridor, turn right. The staircase are at your left side then!_ ” Suho explained in a rush. The three of them ran as fast as they could, adrenaline rushing through their blood while their hearts were throbbing in their chests, trying to keep up with their movements.

When they reached the other staircase and started to rush down alongside the handrail, they could hear hurried footsteps next to their own.

Suddenly, five men were blocking their way farther down.   
“Shit,” Chen cursed under his breath. They couldn’t run back now. There was only one option left.   
“Gotcha,” one of the security man said with a grin, but Baekhyun just shrugged with his shoulders.   
“Nah. I don’t think so,” he said, flexing his neck a bit before he kicked the other man in the guts. Xiumin and Chen immediately joined the fight. Chen just dodged a blow and rammed his elbow into his opponent’s side as somebody grabbed him by the hair, pulling him backwards. He groaned at the painful sting, quickly grabbed the hand that was hurting him and twisted it until the grip loosened itself. With a powerful kick, he sent the other man down the stairs.   
Xiumin parried a blow with his arms and hissed at the pain, but reacted fast enough to start a counter attack. He kicked the guy against his leg to force him to kneel down. With a strong punch, he knocked the enemy out. But there was no time for a breather. Somebody wrapped his arms around Xiumin’s neck so that his throat was caught in the crook of the arm. He struggled to get free, but the guy was taller than him and used this advantage to lift him up a bit.   
Baekhyun just took a hit and stumbled against Chen, as somebody pulled the security guards away from them. Chanyeol and Kai knocked two of them out before Sehun managed to rescue Xiumin from the man’s grip. Xiumin was coughing and gasping for air.   
“Guys!” Baekhyun felt relief washing over his body and the throbbing pain of his cheekbone seemed a bit more bearable now.   
“Are you okay?” Sehun asked Xiumin, helping him back to his feet. The oldest nodded.   
“Let’s get the hell out of here,” Chanyeol shouted and together, they ran down the stairs, jumping over the unconscious bodies until they reached the ground floor.

 

  
*

 

  
When Suho and D.O heard the familiar knocking rhythm against the van, the leader started the engine and D.O opened them the door, counting heads until all six were inside.   
“Floor the car, Suho!” Chen shouted and a second later, the van was rushing down the road until it reached the main street.   
“Somebody hurt?” Suho asked, looking at the rear-view mirror.   
“Baekhyun got hit and Xiumin got choked. Nothing too serious,” Kai explained, eyeing the two members. There was already a bruise blooming on Baekhyun’s cheek and Xiumin’s throat was a bit red and he seemed to have some difficulties in swallowing, but otherwise they were okay.  
“What about the data?” Suho could hear Baekhyun’s triumphantly giggling and smiled. “Good job.”  
“We got caught,” Chen muttered. “We still failed the mission…”   
“They don’t know us and our existence it totally secret from the country. Don’t worry,” Suho tried to cheer him up and drove the car to the next parking lot, where another van was waiting for them. “We’ll buy some food and head home, okay? Change your clothes and pack your things.”  
“Yes.”

 

  
*

 

  
After getting into the other car and donning their normal clothes, the whole atmosphere changed around them. Minseok wasn’t longer Xiumin. Jongdae wasn’t longer Chen, Kyungsoo wasn’t longer D.O, Jongin wasn’t longer Kai and Junmyeon wasn’t Suho for today.   
“I’m for Jjajangmyeon!” Chanyeol said.   
“Hyung, we always eat Jjajangmyeon after a mission. Can’t we have something else this time?” Sehun whined with a pout. “I want Sushi.”  
“I want chicken.”  
“Jongin-ah, you can’t only live on chicken,” Junmyeon chuckled. “What about ramen?”  
“We had that last week.”  
“Let’s do rock-paper-scissors,” Jongdae suggested. “The winner can decide.”  
“Fine.”

After a few rounds, Kyungsoo won and they ended up ordering food at an Italian restaurant.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> See you next week!
> 
> Thanks for reading!!


	3. Machine

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lay gets introduced to EXO. Not everyone is happy with the new face in their team.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Here is the next chapter! 
> 
> Enjoy!

The car was vibrating under them as Lay and his inventor drove down the bumpy road. The area looked abandoned and was filled with mountains, hills and forest and the android absorbed everything he could see, noticed that no fine dust was hanging in the air like it did in Seoul and that the nature seemed untouched by humans, besides the road they were driving on. However, the street was mostly cracked and filled with branches and leaves, signalizing them that nobody cared about this place.   
“How are you feeling, Lay?” His inventor asked. He was wearing a simple coat with a suit underneath. A name tag was hanging at the breast pocket. _Seo Min Nam._  
“My system is functioning one hundred percent,” Lay answered with his voice sounding human, but lacking in emotion. Min Nam sighed with a smile.   
“And now, try to sound more human.”  
“…I’m fine.”  
“Well, it’s a start,” Min Nam said and looked at the road in front of him. “How much longer?”  
“With your current speed of 106km/h, it will take thirty-six minutes until we arrive at the destination.”  
“I hope the guys can add some humanity into your software. My son shouldn’t talk like he has a stick up his ass.”  
“Your son?” Lay asked, showing at least an evidence of a human reaction. Min Nam nodded and patted his thighs, repeatedly surprised how authentic his artificial muscles felt like.   
“I invented your software and designed your body. I created you, so you are my son.”  
“That makes you my father,” Lay said and looked at him, eyes glowing up for a second. “I can see that your endorphin is rising and your heartbeat accelerate.” He did something that looked like a frown. “You are happy.”  
“I am,” Min Nam giggled. “I’ve always wanted a family and you are my first son.”  
“That is a lie,” Lay simply accused without sounding reproachful, albeit tilting his head. “Lying is bad.”  
“Well…” Min Nam’s expression changed a little, turning more melancholic. “At least you would be my first son I can talk to.”  
“You are sad.”  
“And you need to learn to be more considerate,” he countered. “That’s something your software has to learn for itself. I couldn’t write such a complicated system so let’s hope your new home will teach you some useful things.”  
“I’m looking forward to it.”

 

  
*

 

  
“Hyung, can you pass me the remote?” Baekhyun asked while he lay on the couch, ice bag against his black eye and bruised cheekbone. Junmyeon just rolled his eyes.   
“You can get it by yourself, slowpoke. It’s on the coffee table,” he said.   
“But I’m hurt!”  
“Your arms seem fine.”  
“Hyung!” Baekhyun whined and pouted, trying to convince the older male by showing his cute side. But it didn’t work and he let out a frustrated groan before he grabbed the remote by himself. Junmyeon chuckled and stood up.   
“Do you need another ice bag?” he asked.   
“Nah. It’s still cold enough.”  
“Okay.” With a nod, Junmyeon left the living room and found Minseok and Kyungsoo in the kitchen. The oldest had his fingers wrapped around a steaming cup of coffee while Kyungsoo was reading the newspapers. Junmyeon sat down next to Minseok and eyed his neck.   
“How’re you?” he asked.   
“Feels like sore muscles. Nothing to worry about,” Minseok said with a wave of his hand and took a careful sip. “Chanyeol-ah, Jonginie and Jongdae-yah are outside if you look for them.”  
“And our maknae?”  
“Upstairs, probably playing video games.”  
“We should’ve got our food package by now,” Junmyeon mumbled and looked at the clock next to the fridge. The food package was their daily delivery of groceries. Whatever they needed, they would write it down on a digital list, send it to their supervisors and receive it the next day. If they wanted to have something else apart from food, they couldn’t just use an online shop. Their home was top secret and there was no real address. Only the government knew where they lived. That was why they always had to tell their superior if they needed or wanted something like a book, a gaming console, toothpaste, toilet paper and so on. Their existence was not only hidden from the society, but they also didn’t get much privacy and freedom either. They weren’t allowed to leave the area around them, weren’t able to call their friends or family and couldn’t do whatever they wanted. Missions were the only time when they would see the outside world with their own eyes. Junmyeon needed three years until he could arrange a new contract for them that would at least allow them to leave their hideout for one day every two months.

You could tell that it wasn’t good to be constantly together every single day without a longer break. There were fights, arguments, tears and sometimes even broken furniture. But after all these years, they had found a way to deal with it. Everyone had their own room and Junmyeon had stopped to force them to eat dinner all together every evening. If they needed some time alone, they would either lock their rooms or go outside to take a walk around the forest or to the little lake at the east side of the area.

Because of their restricted freedom, they could get whatever they wanted. The house was luxury and big, had a pool in the basement, a training room next to it and a small library. At first, they had a weekly cleaning service, but when they realized that Minseok and Kyungsoo were constantly cleaning as a stress reliever, their superior limited the service to once a month. Apart from that, there was a garbage pick-up two times a week.

“The package arrived this morning,” Kyungsoo said and pointed at the folded parcel next to the storeroom. “You were still snoring against your pillow when it came.”  
“Oh.” Junmyeon blinked a bit surprised. “I didn’t notice.”  
“You were fast asleep, like most of us,” Minseok told him. “No wonder, we barely slept the last few days.”  
“True. Who’s in charge for dinner tonight?”  
“It’s me,” Kyungsoo said. “By the way, you should eat something, hyung. You skipped breakfast today.”  
“Do we have some leftovers from yesterday?” Junmyeon asked as he opened the large fridge, eyeing the food and drinks. Suddenly, Minseok stood next to him and patted him on the shoulder.   
“I’ll make you something, sit down.”  
“You don’t have to.”  
“You did a good job yesterday,” Minseok said with a smile. “See it as a thank you from me.”  
“You’re the best, hyung.”  
“You’re welcome.”  
“Guys.” Kyungsoo’s voice radiated concern, as if he wanted to warn them. “Someone’s coming.” He looked up, listening out for the car that was approaching their house. The others hurried to the door and grabbed their phones.

 

  
*

 

  
Chanyeol was deep in thought as his phone rang and vibrated inside his pocket. The lake’s surface was mirroring the clear sky. It was a bit too warm to be October, but he didn’t complain. The sun was warming his tanned skin as he looked to the forest over the hills whose colors slowly faded into a bright yellow. It was like the landscape turned into gold. He loved autumn.   
“What’s up?” he asked right after he answered the phone.   
“ _You have to come home, Chanyeol-ah_ ,” Minseok said to him in a serious tone. “ _The others are already on their way back_.”  
“Why? Did something happen?”  
“ _We have a visitor…_ ”

 

  
*

 

  
When Lay and Min Nam was driving up in front of the big house, Chanyeol and Jongin just came out of the forest. The rest of the group was already waiting at the veranda.   
“Who’s that?” Jongin asked between his breaths. He seemed to have sprinted all the way back to make it in time. Jongdae was already there, standing next to Sehun and Baekhyun.   
“The car is definitely one of the secret agency,” Minseok told them, pointing at the license plate. The car’s doors were opened and an older man got out of the car. Seo Min Nam had almost finished his fifties, but his mind was still working without troubles. He invented most of EXO’s weapons. They knew him by name, but had never seen his face until now.   
As Lay stood up and closed the car door behind himself, the group frowned. He seemed to be their age.   
“Hello, boys,” Min Nam said with a smile. “We finally meet.”  
“Who are you?” Junmyeon asked.   
“The one who made all your handy equipment,” he explained and shortly bowed. “Seo Min Nam.”  
“Oh.” Everyone seemed to relax as the stranger introduced himself. Then, eight pairs of eyes wandered to the younger person in the background. Lay formed his lips to a smile and bowed as well, even though it looked a bit stiff.   
“Hello. My name is Lay,” he began and looked up again. “I am his son.”  
“His son?!” Baekhyun was in for a surprise and widened his eyes. Min Nam laughed a bit sheepishly and beckoned Lay over to pat his back.   
“Well, his memory seems to be fully intact,” he laughed. “I’m his inventor.”  
“Inventor?” Minseok stopped short with a deep frown. “What do you mean by that?”  
“Gentlemen, please let me introduce you to my newest and greatest project so far: EXO_LAY10, Lay in short. An android designed for your group to support and help you during your next missions.”  
“An android?!” Jongdae’s jaw dropped. Lay looked so real, even blinked from time to time and showed curiosity by looking around. How could he be not human?  
“Why does the government send us a _machine_?” Jongin scoffed with crossed arms. Was this happening because they didn’t finish the last mission like they had been supposed to? Did the government really think that they would need a bunch of metal to be successful? Or was this a way to observe them more properly now, taking the last bits of privacy from them?  
“My team and I worked on this project for several years now and we think that Lay is ready to face his first missions. He should learn about the human nature, about teamwork and humanity to develop his A.I. so that we have enough information to update the next androids,” Min Nam explained, looking proudly at Lay, who kept a straight face.   
“So you want us to babysit that thing?” Chanyeol asked, raising one eyebrow. “Not with me.”  
“Guys,” Junmyeon said a bit louder. “You don’t even know him. Lay could be an enrichment for the team if we teach him how everything works.”  
“Yeah sure, and then we all gonna be replaced by those things and end up on the streets and probably murdered,” Sehun said and pressed his tongue against his inner cheek, a habit he always did when he was angry.   
“Nobody will replace us, Sehun-ah,” Kyungsoo tried to assure him.   
“We should give it a try,” Minseok thought out loud and looked around one. “If he doesn’t help us on a mission or being a handicap, we can still say no.” He turned to Min Nam who nodded his approval.   
“If he’s making too much trouble, just call me. Lay has my number.”  
“Junmyeon-ah, you are the leader. You have to decide,” Minseok said and everyone was staring at Junmyeon now.   
“Well. We should give it a try. Everyone deserves a chance.” He looked at Lay and smiled at him. “Welcome to EXO, Lay.”  
Groans filled the next seconds and only Minseok, Kyungsoo and Junmyeon were left after the rest went inside. Min Nam sighed, looking worriedly at Lay, who tried to analyze the situation.   
“Show yourself from your best side, Lay. Okay?”  
“Yes, father.”

They watched how Min Nam got into the car and disappeared between the trees as the vehicle’s tires rattled over the bumpy road.   
“Well…let’s get inside. We have some things to discuss,” Junmyeon said and opened the front door.

This would probably be their most difficult mission so far.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. :)  
> Let's see how Lay gets on in the group.
> 
>  
> 
> See you next week!


	4. Fight

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lay learns about the group’s dynamics and tries to adjust to the new situation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys I'm back!
> 
> I hope you have a nice week. Enjoy the new chapter! :D

Lay spent the day either in the living room or in the kitchen after Junmyeon had showed him the house and explained him how their daily routines looked like.  
While Kyungsoo and Junmyeon were normally working on their laptops to do research or programming a new hacking-software, the rest of them trained their bodies.  
Minseok, Jongdae and Baekhyun concentrated on stealth, dexterity and agility, whereas Minseok was the strongest, Jongdae the best lurker and Baekhyun the fastest of them.   
Chanyeol, Sehun and Jongin were specializing in material arts and weapons. Chanyeol was not only the tallest but also the one with the most muscle mass. He was great at boxing, Hapkido and working with pistols. Sehun was practicing Karate and Taekwondo and was known for his quick reflexes. His favorite weapons were long items like swords or rods. Jongin was a cautious fighter and very skilled at Capoeira and Taijiquan (Tai Chi). His fighting traits were elegance and flexibility. It almost looked like a dance when he trained for himself in the forest. Apart from that, he was the sniper of the group, able to control his breathing and hands without causing his body to shake.

Lay saved the new information in his system and used the time, where everyone was busy, to look up everything he could find about material arts, anatomy and health. His mission was to protect the group and help them, so the best way to do it, was to understand their lifestyle and tasks.   
Now, everyone but Junmyeon and Kyungsoo were outside to train so Lay decided to make himself useful. He walked upstairs and knocked at the leader’s door two times.   
“Come in, Lay,” he heard Junmyeon’s muffled voice and entered the room.

It was messy and almost every spot on the floor was occupied with papers, books and clothes. The walls didn’t look any different. Lay spotted several maps of cities, building plans, photos of people that looked like they were taken secretly and many notes that were attached to a pin board. There were even some clothesline ropes that went from wall to wall, corner to corner, assembled with more photos and notes. Lay had some difficulties to analyze the room with all these information around, so he canceled the scanning and concentrated more on Junmyeon.   
“Your room is too much for my system to handle,” he deadpanned unintentionally and watched how Junmyeon chuckled and turned around to face him.   
“One of the reasons why Kyungsoo and Minseok never enter my room. That’s why I knew it was you. The others would get a mental breakdown if they see the chaos I’m living in.” He stood up and rearranged a few books until a second chair was suddenly revealed. “Take a seat.”  
“I don’t need to sit.”  
“We were told to teach you about the humanity.” Junmyeon patted on the free chair. “And humans sit down to talk with each other to be more comfortable.”  
“Okay.” Lay nodded and sat down, hands on both of his knees and back straight. “I have a few questions and after finishing my analysis, I know that you would be the best one to give me the answers.”  
“I feel flattered.”  
“How can I help you if you are not on a mission? Is there something I can do?” Lay asked.   
“Ah, of course, you need a task,” Junmyeon muttered more to himself than to the other. Lay affirmed nonetheless with a nod. “Well, you don’t need any physical training, but more experience with the group. I think, the first thing you should do is to get to know the others. I know, some of them aren’t really…happy about the new situation, but it’s important to know each other’s strengths and weaknesses so that we can support and help our group members. Our dynamics change during a mission and you need to be prepared to work with us together. So, just try to spend some time with them.”  
“I understand,” Lay said. “I will start with you.”  
“Oh, ehm…sure,” Junmyeon said with a short laugh since he didn’t expect Lay being so straightforward with his words. “I’m currently doing some research about our last missions. Checking the news, social media and reading police reports so that I can be sure that our identity is still hidden. Here, I’ll show you.”

 

  
*

 

  
It was afternoon, when Lay left Junmyeon’s room and knocked at Kyungsoo’s door. However, nobody answered or opened the door, so Lay quickly used his infrared camera to check if the other was inside his room. Kyungsoo was not there. Lay expanded his vision and scanned the whole house, finding the small red-toned figure downstairs. His field of view went back to normal as he walked into the kitchen.   
“Hello,” he greeted the other. Kyungsoo was busy cutting some vegetables while some water was boiling in a big pot over the stove plate behind him. He looked up when he heard Lay’s voice and smiled.   
“Hey, Lay…” A word seemed to be stuck in his throat. He blinked a few times and adjusted his glasses with the back of his hand, which was holding the knife. “Ah…how old are you? I mean, not when you were invented, but your human identity. You must have an ID card or something, right?” he asked a bit unsure.   
“Yes, I have an ID card. It says I was born on the 7th October 1991. So that makes me twenty-eight years old.”  
“So, is it okay if I call you hyung at home? It feels weird not using honorifics if I’m not on a mission.” Kyungsoo gave him a sheepish smile. “Even though you aren’t human, you look and sound like one so I kinda want to treat you like one.”  
“It is okay. Me being a hyung means that I can speak informal to you, right? That’s what my software knows about Korean culture.”  
“Sure.”  
“I know that Kim Minseok is born in 1990. So I have to call him hyung, according to the system,” Lay concluded. Kyungsoo chuckled a bit as Lay tilted his head, a gesture of confusion or unsureness. He was amazed how detailed the android’s software was programmed.   
“Yes. I bet he would like that,” he said and continued to chop the Chinese cabbage. He was very careful when he was cooking for the group, wanting it to be perfect so that everyone could enjoy a nice dinner. He put the chopped cabbage into a bowl and continued to peel the carrots with a paring knife.   
“You are cooking,” Lay said, looking at the ingredients that were spread over the kitchen island. “Kimchi Hotpot.”  
“Yeah, you’re right,” Kyungsoo said. “It’s hard to find recipes that are going to feed eight grown men so we tried different combinations until we made our own ones.” He pointed at a notebook that was lying next to a bowl with mushrooms. “Normally, me, Chanyeol-hyung or Minseokie-hyung cook for the group.”  
“Can I help you?”  
“You can cook?” Kyungsoo looked honestly surprised. He watched how Lay closed his eyes and didn’t do anything for around a minute until his lips suddenly formed a smile.   
“Now I can cook Kimchi Hotpot,” he said.   
“W-What did you do?”  
“I analyzed a few cooking videos and did research about Korean Hotpot recipes. It should be enough to help you with your task.” He walked around the kitchen island until he was standing next to Kyungsoo. He rolled up his sleeves and grabbed a breadboard and a knife.   
“I will prepare the scallions and mushrooms if that is okay for you.”  
“Ehm, sure. Go ahead, hyung.”  
“Thank you, Kyungsoo-yah.”

Together, they prepared dinner and Lay kept tabs on Kyungsoo how he seasoned the soup and the meat. Curiously, he dipped his finger into the little bowl that was filled with a small amount of sauce and brought it to his mouth, licking it. Kyungsoo watched him with raised eyebrows. Lay didn’t react, just stared straight forward until he turned his head to him.   
“Rice wine, soy sauce, salt, sugar, dashi and…lemon juice.”  
“I’m not sure if I should find it creepy or amazing,” Kyungsoo said. “Does it taste good?”  
“I don’t know.” Lay tilted his head again. “I’m not capable of rating something as good or bad.”  
“Oh, I see…. Well, hopefully, the others will like it.” Kyungsoo looked at the clock on the wall. “It’ll be done in ten minutes.” He grabbed a small device that was hanging down his belt and pushed the button in the middle.   
“Give me five minutes!” Junmyeon suddenly yelled through the house.   
“What is that?” Lay asked, pointing at the device.   
“Something like a pager. It peeps and vibrates when somebody pushes the button. We use it as a signal to gather together. Mostly for dinner or meetings,” Kyungsoo explained. “The others should be here in a few minutes. Can you set the table? The bowls are over there.”  
“Yes.”

 

  
*

 

  
Lay had noticed how Kyungsoo had brought another chair next to him so that Lay could sit down while everyone was eating dinner. Despite Junmyeon being in the house the whole day, he was the last one who joined the group. The big pot was standing in the middle of the table next to a bowl of rice. They began to fill their rice bowls and picked up some vegetables and meat out of the pot with their chopsticks.   
“That smells good, Kyungsoo-yah,” Jongdae praised him as he put some broth into his bowl.   
“Thank you. Lay-hyung helped me.”

Silence.

Suddenly, everyone stopped moving. Minseok and Junmyeon only for a second, assuming what was coming next.   
“Great, you spoiled my appetite,” Sehun groaned, throwing himself against the back of the chair, getting into a huff. Chanyeol and Jongin did the same, crossing their arms.   
“I won’t eat that stu-ow!” Chanyeol winced as Minseok had slapped the back of his head harshly. The oldest did the same thing with Jongin and Sehun, looking furious.   
“You _eat_!” he shouted in an unusual firm tone. “Kyungsoo put effort into this! You need to eat to be healthy so don’t complain like children and eat.”  
“He even called him _hyung_ ,” Sehun muttered disgusted, but when he looked at Minseok’s angry face, he knew he didn’t have another choice. “Fine.”

Lay watched everything straight-faced, trying to understand the situation. Minseok was the oldest among the group, so he clearly held the most authority in the house next to Junmyeon. Lay would keep that in his memory.   
“Apologize to Kyungsoo-yah and Lay,” Junmyeon said with his mouth full of meat. He heard the three sigh before they lowered their heads.   
“Sorry…”  
“There we go.”

After that, dinner proceeded rather quietly. Jongdae and Baekhyun hadn’t said anything during the whole argument, but they had hesitated to eat as well. But when they had glimpsed at Kyungsoo’s face and found a tang of hurt, they felt guilty.

When everyone finished their meal, Sehun, Jongin and Chanyeol hurried into their rooms. Baekhyun and Jongdae stayed in the dining area with the rest of them. They cleared the table and tidied up the kitchen. Kyungsoo left a bit later together with Junmyeon and Minseok.   
Meanwhile, Lay eyed Jongdae and Baekhyun as they loaded the dishwasher with the crockery.   
“Can I help you?”   
“No,” Baekhyun said coldly, before he added a bit softer: “It doesn’t take long.”  
“Okay.” Lay nodded and turned around to go into the living room.   
“Hey.” Jongdae called, seemingly addressing the android. Lay stopped and turned around.   
“Yes?”  
“Thank you for helping Kyungsoo-yah…”  
“I’m doing the best I can,” Lay answered with a smile.

 

  
*

 

  
The next day, Lay continued his task of getting to know the others better. He decided to walk around the area to see where the members were practicing. He found an outdoor shooting range on a clearing in the west. Jongin was busy with his training that he didn’t notice that somebody was watching him. Lay just stayed at the forest edge for an hour before he continued his walk. With Jongin’s ear defenders, he couldn’t communicate with him so he remitted his talk with Jongin till the next days.

He walked farther north and noticed loud shouting coming from the direction he was heading to. He recognized Sehun’s and Baekhyun’s voices.   
“It’s not like we did it on _purpose_!” Baekhyun screamed in an offended tone.   
“But because of _you_ , we couldn’t finish the mission without getting caught and now we have this _bunch of trash_ walking around in our house!” Sehun countered. Lay was finally near enough to see them and stopped. They were near the lake’s shore and pushed each other around like wolves that fought for dominance.   
“We’re a team, so if it’s my fault, it’s everyone’s fault!”  
“We saved your asses back there!” Sehun yelled, pointing at the distance. “And as a thank you I have to deal with a fucking _R2D2_ -waste as a team member? Well, fuck you!”  
“Don’t pretend like you’ve never done a mistake, maknae!”  
“I could beat up your ass, and you know that!”  
“Well, do come!” Baekhyun said, raising his eyebrows in a provoking manner. “Let’s see who will kill whose ass!”  
Lay watched how the two men started to actually fight, punching and kicking each other. He could see that there was something wrong and after needing a few seconds to find a solution, he remembered yesterday’s dinner.   
He quickly turned around and scanned the area for every living creature. He needed a while to find the one he was looking for and started to jog towards his destination, heading east.

 

  
*

 

  
Minseok was lost in his training. He was running through the obstacle course, climbing over the wall before he jumped to the ground and rolled to brake his fall. He ran to the next station and lay down on his stomach. He had to crawl under the net, wiggling forward with his fists pressed against his collarbones. His heart throbbed in his chest and his own panting was the only thing he could hear. He finished crawling and got up again, hurrying over to the climbing net. He pulled himself up until he reached the top and swung himself over the beam, climbing back to the ground. He jumped forward and grabbed a metal pole, feet dangling above the ground. He used the momentum to jump to the next pole and the next one and the next one until he could see the end and let himself fall down. He sprinted to the finish line and grabbed his phone, stopping the timer.

_00:01:34_

“Dammit, so close,” he panted, disappointed that he missed his record by two seconds. Minseok took some deep breaths, trying to calm down his beating heart as he grabbed a water bottle and took some gulps. He would try it again in five minutes before he would begin with his strength training.   
“Minseok-hyung!”   
“Huh?” He turned around, surprised to see Lay approaching him. “Oh, hey, Lay. What’re you doing outside?”  
“I wanted to know how you train your bodies,” he explained. “But I have another reason why I am here.”  
“And what is it?” Minseok looked curious and pushed his sweaty hair away from his forehead.   
“I saw Baekhyun and Sehun shouting at each other. And then, they had started to fight against each other,” Lay said. “You stopped the argument yesterday, so my software concluded that you will end this fight as well.”  
“Ah…” Minseok sighed, taking another gulp before he closed the bottle. “Don’t worry. It’s not their first fight. I bet it has something to do with your arrival.”  
“They mentioned a _bunch of trash_ and a _R2D2-waste_. I suppose it is a metaphor for me?” His monotone voice made it sound like he was reading the news and Minseok couldn’t help but shake his head.   
“It’s not nice to say something like this. If somebody insults you, you have to stand up for yourself. Be proud of who you are.”  
“Pride is something my software can’t understand…” Lay frowned. “…yet. I don’t have enough information for a deduction.”  
“It’s okay. At least that means that you aren’t hurt by their words or behavior,” Minseok said and stretched his arms. “I won’t interfere in their quarrel.”  
“Why not?”  
“They have to find a solution by themselves. They are old enough to know how to end arguments and how to make up again. Kids sometimes need help to end a fight, but the older you get, the more you understand about feelings and perception. You learn to think in somebody’s shoes, to empathize with them. It’s an important part of self-development.”  
“Self-development?”  
“Yes. Like your A.I. is constantly learning and getting new information, humans’ brains do the same, but on a more emotional level. It helps us to understand who we are, what we like and how we can improve ourselves.”  
“I think I understood that.” Lay nodded.   
“Good. The two will fight until they’re tired, then they talk calmly, apologize for their behavior and make up.”  
“Okay. Thank you, Minseok-hyung.”  
“You’re welcome.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it. Thank you for every support!
> 
>  
> 
> See you next week!


	5. Help

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EXO gets a new mission.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry I'm late!! My mother is currently visiting me here in Japan and of course I want to spend some time with her. Today, I had the day for myself so I had time to write the chapter. To make up for it, it's a longer onel! :D
> 
> Enjoy!!

The next day, Lay watched how Kyungsoo and Junmyeon took care of Sehun’s and Baekhyun’s bruises. After a quick scan, he figured ascertained that both of them only suffered from minor injuries that would heal over the next few days. Junmyeon still scolded them for their reckless behavior, but everyone could see that he was glad that Baekhyun and Sehun had ended their little quarrel, realizing that it was nobody’s fault that Lay was here now and that they wouldn’t have another chance than to deal with the new addition of their team.

Lay noticed that everyone ate breakfast by themselves, either in the living room or the dining area, whereas only the older members and Kyungsoo enjoyed their first meal of the day at the table. After Jongin had shouted at him to get lost so that he could eat in peace, Lay left the house to walk around the area again, checking if another member was already busy with their training.

He didn’t have to search long until he could hear Chanyeol’s panting and self-motivated shouting. Lay found him surrounded by six punching bags that were hanging down from the trees. He kicked and hit the poor objects with attitude. Lay didn’t know why he looked so furious and stressed, unaware that _he_ was the reason for Chanyeol’s early morning practice.   
During the night, Chanyeol had woken up several times because the android had walked down the hallway or the stairs. Lay wasn’t aware of how loud his footsteps sounded and that Chanyeol was a very light sleeper. He had gotten more and more frustrated until the sunlight had finally broken through his window and greeted their house with a soothing warmth.

Lay was watching Chanyeol punching the sand-filled enemies in the distance and did a quick body-scan to check his health.   
A danger signal suddenly appeared next to the results of his analysis, telling him that something was wrong with Chanyeol’s circulatory. Without hesitating, Lay approached him.   
“Get the fuck out!” Chanyeol hissed between his labored breathing, trying to catch his breath. He had to slightly hug one of the punching bags to keep his balance. Lay’s system noticed the command, but safety was the first priority in the moment so he just ignored what the other had said and grabbed Chanyeol’s arm to get more information about the other’s state.  
“Your blood pressure is too low, the same holds true for the oxygen level in your blood. I did not see you eat breakfast today. You need to rest, eat and drink. You are not allowed to continue your training in your current condition. It will be harmful for your body.”  
“I can do whatever I want, scrapheap!” Chanyeol growled and tried to get his arm free. Lay tilted his head, not letting go of him.   
“My first priority is to protect you,” he simply said. “I will bring you back to the house.”  
“You will kiss my ass!” Chanyeol clenched his jaw. He was here to blow off his steam and now the root of all evil was preventing him doing so.   
“I do not think this is appropriate.” Lay dodged as the other hauled off to punch him in the face. Chanyeol’s fist missed the mark by hitting the air next to Lay’s ear. Suddenly, he felt how his body was lifted. Lay had used the momentum to throw him over his shoulder.   
“Hey!” Chanyeol yelled. “Let. Me. Go! Now!”  
“No.”  
“Fuck you!”  
“Sexual intercourse is not a part of my program.”  
“Argh!”

 

  
*

 

  
“I told you to never train without eating before!” Minseok said after he hit the back of Chanyeol’s head. “I don’t care if you’re frustrated, your health and body are more important!”  
“I could barely sleep because of that clumsy oaf! It sounded like an elephant was walking down the corridor!” Chanyeol tried to defend himself as Jongdae silently put a bowl of rice with some egg and meat on top of it in front of him before he left the dining room. Chanyeol huffed, but picked up the chopsticks to start to eat.   
“I am sorry that I was loud during the night. I will not do it from now onwards,” Lay said and bowed shortly. Minseok sighed and ran his fingers through his unkempt hair, trying not to lose his patience.   
“I know that the new situation is hard to handle for some of you, but that doesn’t mean that you should neglect your body, okay?”  
“Yes, hyung…” Chanyeol sighed. He knew that he should’ve known better, but his mind wasn’t working properly since Lay had entered their house.   
“Talk to us, next time. I know that you tend to get all worked up about small things. And this isn’t even a small thing…I’m sorry that I didn’t try to help you to adjust to the new situation. Shouting and scolding you doesn’t get us anywhere. It never did.”  
“Hyung…” Chanyeol’s soft voice was new for Lay. He had never heard him talking like that. “It’s not your fault. Nobody really is. This… _thing_ …” A glimpse at Minseok’s face let him hesitate before he corrected himself. “This… _android_ …was being planned for several years. Maybe even as long as EXO exists. This would have happened either way…But I can’t see him as a human being, because…I don’t know…”  
“It’s okay, Chanyeol-ah. Lay might not be human, but he isn’t something bad either. He’s here to help us and to learn from us and all I want you to do is to give him a chance. Do you remember how everyone thought that Kyungsoo was a creepy guy who would kill us all if we would touch him?” Minseok smiled a bit and patted the other’s shoulder. “We judged him by his appearance and didn’t give him a chance to show who he really is. It took us weeks to find out that he’s one of the kindest person’s we’ve ever met.”  
“I know…”  
“Lay didn’t do any of these things to annoy you. He simply didn’t know and just did his job by protecting you. Just tell him what you like and don’t like, teach him how to be quiet during the night. It’s not babysitting. It’s the same when you make a new friend that doesn’t know you yet. Do you know what I mean?” Minseok asked.   
“You’re right. Just…give me some time,” Chanyeol said.   
“Of course. Good talk.”  
“Good talk.” Chanyeol chuckled a bit as he grabbed Minseok’s hand and pulled him into a short hug.   
Baby steps.

 

  
*

 

  
A few days later, Junmyeon ordered everyone to the living room for a meeting. His fingers were playing with the corner of the papers he was holding in his hands. He counted heads, making sure everyone was there before he began to speak.   
“We have a new mission.”  
“So soon?” Minseok frowned. Normally, they would have at least few weeks in-between their assignments so they could rest and prepare themselves properly. Junmyeon nodded and took the remote to turn on the TV. It was connected with his laptop, showing everyone the display in a much bigger scale so that they could see everything without problems. He pressed a button and a photo of an old book appeared on the screen.   
“ _The Annals of the Joseon Dynasty,_ Volume one hundred two, including the _Hunminjeongeum_ , the script of the invention of the Korean language. Fifteenth century,” he read out loud. “The _Annals_ are one of the national treasures of Korea and only 47 copies have remained.”  
“It was stolen?” Sehun asked.   
“A few weeks ago. It was kept hidden from the media to not cause too much attention. The museum is known for its excellent security system. Such a scandal could ruin the image of the national safety,” Junmyeon said and pressed another button to go to the next photo. The serious face of an older man was staring at them, longer hair to his chin, nose long and lips thin. “Chun Hee-Kwang, leader of the underground organization _Seong-ge_ , is known for dealing with smuggled and antique goods, especially in Busan. He has a criminal record including smuggling, buying and selling on the black market, fraud and illegal traffic in arms.”  
“Did he stole the book?” Kyungsoo looked at Junmyeon with raised eyebrows, but received a head-shaking to his surprise.   
“No. He was one of the interested parties. The book was seen on the black market by an undercover agent. Chun Hee-Kwang and another gang leader showed interested of buying it, but the other party was outbid by Chun.”  
“He bought it?” Jongdae asked. “Does he want to sell it for a higher price?”  
“That’s the assumption so far.” Junmyeon skipped to a map of Busan. Half of the screen was covered with the blue of the sea. “As far as we know, his hideout is here.” He pointed at a small part in the middle of the city that was covered in green.   
“A park?” Jongin questioned with a frown.   
“Underneath.”  
“How much time do we have until the book finds a new owner?” Chanyeol asked.   
“Probably less than a week.”  
“Oh shit.”  
“That’s why we have to hurry. Two cars will pick us up in the evening to take us to Busan. We’ll stay at a hotel and have to prepare everything from there. Pack your stuff and get ready,” Junmyeon said with a sigh at the end. It was a really spontaneous mission, but not their first one of that kind. Still, it meant a high amount of stress, sleepless nights and preparation, something nobody looked forward to. Meanwhile, Lay was saving the new information and started to research more about the park, _Seong-ge_ and every online activities in the dark net, in case they would try to sell the book online. The rest of the members got up and started to fill their suitcases and equipment boxes.

In the evening, two cars parked in front of the house and brought them to a small airport, where they entered the private jet that was waiting for them to fly to Busan.

It was night, when they landed and finally reached their hotel. Everyone had their own chamber, including Lay who couldn’t find a reason to stay in the empty room, but he knew that the others were enjoying their last night with a proper amount of sleep and it wasn’t a good idea to wake them up, so he waited until the next sunrise.

 

  
*

 

  
Days of research, planning and inspecting the area, finding a way to the underground and several cups of coffee later, EXO was ready to start their mission to get the stolen book back.

They were sitting in a van, testing everyone’s microphones and earphones to make sure that the communication worked without problems. Now, they were back in the mindset of agents. Honorifics were gone, names had changed and private problems were left at the hotel.   
“Chanyeol and Sehun go undercover as soon as the others have the book. Kai stays on top of the building with the sniper in case of an ambush. Xiumin, Chen and Baekhyun enter through the ventilating system to get the book. Lay joins you and will lead you through the shafts. D.O. gave him a new scanning software so you can find the book if it’s hidden or locked somewhere. This shouldn’t take longer than an hour,” Suho repeated a last time before the others would leave the car. It was the first mission with Lay included and he could tell that everyone was a bit unsure about that fact since they didn’t know what would happen in case of an emergency. Suho tried to think positive, but even he couldn’t deny that he was worried about the team’s safety.

Xiumin’s team had managed to enter the underground’s air duct without much problems. They knew what to do and Lay could navigate them through the shaft system without getting lost so they actually saved some precious time.

Everything went smooth until Lay suddenly stopped.   
“What’s wrong?” Xiumin whispered.   
“They seemed to have changed the ventiduct system over the last years. It’s different from the one D.O. had showed me,” Lay explained in a low volume. “We have to go straight and not turn left.”  
“Okay.” Xiumin nodded.   
“What do you mean ‘okay’?” Baekhyun suddenly said. “Do you believe that android more than D.O.?” He looked angrily at Xiumin and then back to Jongdae to get some backup.   
“I quite agree with Baekhyun. We should stick to the plan and turn left like D.O. had told us.”  
“D.O. might’ve found an older version of the construction plan. Lay can scan the area and if he said they had changed it, I believe it. I bet Suho would agree with me.”  
“Then you two go that way. Chen and I turn left.”  
“We shouldn’t split up,” Xiumin emphasized, but Baekhyun was already crawling to the left side, passing by him to reach the junction. Chen followed and as Xiumin grabbed his leg to stop him, he turned around and pulled his knee to his chest to get free.   
“One of us is right. If we split up, we won’t lose any time.”  
“It’s dangerous,” Xiumin said.   
“We’ll be careful. And you, too.” Chen turned to Lay. “Protect him with your life or I’ll take you to pieces.”  
“I will protect him,” Lay said. “Splitting up increases the risk of getting caught. I have to say that this is a bad idea.” He couldn’t really do something against the situation. Protecting them was his first priority, but he had to listen to their orders if there was no emergency. And right now, there was no emergency his system could see.   
“Tell D.O. about our separation,” Xiumin said before he and Lay headed straight forward. He had an uneasy feeling about the whole thing.

 

  
*

 

  
It was a mistake.   
Baekhyun and Chen had almost crawled till the end of the air duct as they suddenly landed right above a great hall. Through the louver, they could see several armed people walking around, talking with each other or playing some billiard in the corner. It seemed to be some kind of lounge, but a lot more rustic, cold and basement-like. Baekhyun cursed under his breath, now knowing that Lay had been right. They tried to be as quiet as possible as they turned around, but it seemed like the ventilation shaft was a bit too old to carry their weight any longer. With a loud crack, the sheet bulged dangerously underneath and the screws, that held the parts of the shaft together, became unfastened until they eventually snapped. With a loud crash, Baekhyun and Chen fell down along with the part of the air duct, right in the middle of the room.

 

  
*

 

  
Lay and Xiumin had crawled farther and farther until the android looked through one of the louvers to check the room.   
It was a storage room, filled with boxes, cases and shelves that were decorated with porcelain vases and other antiques. He quickly scanned every box until he hit pay dirt.   
“It is here,” he said.   
“Perfect. Let me open the louver.” Xiumin fished his tools out of his pocket and started to undo the screws. “Are there any cameras inside?”  
“Only outside, over the door,” Lay said.   
“Okay. I’ll get the book. Tell D.O. that we found it.” Xiumin jumped out of the shaft and landed as quiet as a cat on the floor without making any sound, even though he was wearing shoes. He hurried to the box Lay was pointing at and opened it.   
There was the book.   
He was about to wrap it in a large cloth and put it into his backpack as a loud alarm sound echoed through the hallway behind the closed door. He froze. Did he not see a trap and activated the alarm? He looked up to Lay who seemed to listen to one of the other members through the earphones.   
“What’s going on?!” Xiumin asked as he ran back to the air duct.   
“Baekhyun and Chen were busted,” Lay explained, probably too calm and emotionless to be an appropriate human reaction. Xiumin widened his eyes and worry filled his mind.   
“Pull me up!” he shouted and held his hand up. Lay helped him up and he was almost back in as the door was opened with a loud bang.   
“Hey!” Somebody yelled. Xiumin tried to climb into the shaft as fast as he could, but suddenly, a sweaty hand wrapped itself around his ankle and pulled him back. He tried his best to fight against it and with a strong kick, he managed to lose the grip a bit, albeit one of his shoes had to be left behind because of it. Lay pulled him inside completely and turned onto his back as he pressed Xiumin against his chest, shielding him from the sudden shots that were coming through the sheet. Lay moved backwards until they were finally save.   
“I will save Baekhyun and Chen. You have to leave this place and go back to D.O. and Suho,” Lay said.   
“O-Okay.” Xiumin could just nod, body filled with adrenaline that made his fingers shake. He hoped that Baekhyun and Chen were fine.

 

  
*

 

  
Chanyeol and Sehun had just entered the hideout, disguised as two members of _Seong-ge_ , when they heard the alarm. Their necks were covered with the gang’s typical tattoo, although it was fake, it did its job by not attracting any attention.  
Now, chaos was all around them. Several people were running down a long corridor, and a few more were shouting into their walkie-talkies, announcing that there were intruders inside the building. At first, Chanyeol and Sehun thought that they were exposed, but nobody seemed to care about them.   
“Xiumin and the others…” Sehun mumbled. Chanyeol just nodded and pulled at the other’s sleeve to tell him to move forward. They ran down the hallway, following the other people since they seemed to know where the ‘intruders’ were.

When Chanyeol and Sehun reached the great hall, Chen and Baekhyun were already losing against the big amount of people. Chanyeol counted thirteen men. They had surrounded Chen and Baekhyun, who tried their best to defend themselves, but they stood no chance. Baekhyun was already limping and bleeding out of his nose and Chen looked like he would pass out every next second, holding his side.   
Chanyeol pulled out his gun and Sehun grabbed one of the billiard cues to defend himself. They couldn’t lose any more time before much more people would reach the hall. Chanyeol began to shoot and managed to force three men down to their knees before he turned into a target as well. Sehun had managed to reach Baekhyun and Chen and did his best to keep everyone away from them. He hit with the cue on his enemies’ wrists so that they had to let go of their guns before he knocked them out. A few shots came off, but only hit the walls or the ceiling. Five men were left as suddenly somebody jumped right out of the broken air duct.   
Lay.  
The android knew how to fight, but that wasn’t his mission right now. He quickly checked on Baekhyun and Chen, noticing that they needed medical help, but weren’t in a serious condition. Chanyeol and Sehun seemed to be okay.   
“We need to leave,” he said and approached them. “Your leg is damaged. You cannot walk.”  
“I’m fine!” Baekhyun said. “Did you leave Xiumin alone?!”  
“He is save. You are in danger so you are my priority right now.” Lay was about to lift him when one of the gang members was about to point the gun at them. He pulled Chen and Baekhyun behind him as the bullet hit his torso. The man couldn’t even register what just happened because Sehun smashed the cue right against his head, knocking him out so he could join his pals on the ground.   
“D-Did you just got shot?” Sehun panted heavily, eyes wide with shock. Lay just nodded before he turned back to Baekhyun and Chen.   
“Sehun, can you carry Baekhyun? I will take care of Chen.”  
Sehun finished the last enemy, threw his weapon away and hurried over to them. Without losing more time, he gave Baekhyun a piggyback ride and Lay did the same with Chen, who had difficulties to stay conscious.   
Chanyeol beckoned them to the exit.   
“Come on, guys! They’re coming!”  
“Let’s get the hell out of here!”

 

  
*

 

  
Kai was only semi-relieved as he saw how Xiumin climbed out of the ventilation shaft alone. With the help of the sight of his sniper, he could watch how Xiumin reached the van safely.

A few minutes later, the rest of them left the underground and Kai kept a close eye on them in case they were being followed. Fortunately, nobody came after them until they got into the car. He sighed audibly and engaged the safety of his gun before he stood up and left the building’s rooftop.   
“What happened with Chen and Baekhyun?” Kai asked into the microphone. He didn’t like the fact that two of them got injured again, especially because the android was supposed to protect them.  
It took a while before he heard Suho’s voice.   
“ _They were attacked, nothing too serious. We’ll meet you at the venue in a few minutes!_ ”  
“And the book?”  
“ _We got it._ ”  
“Alright.”

Kai joined the van as soon as he left the building and together, they drove back to their hotel. He noticed that something had changed about how the others looked at Lay. Baekhyun and Chen were letting themselves be treated by the android without making a fuss and he caught Xiumin staring at Lay’s back several times.  
He would ask them when they were back in the hotel and under better conditions.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you liked it! 
> 
> See you next week!


	6. Human

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lay gets a second chance.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's the new chapter!   
> Enjoy!

As soon as everyone was back at the hotel and sure that nobody was seriously hurt, another van picked them up to drive them back to the airport. There was no time to lose and the longer they would stay, the higher would be the risk of getting caught, so the plan of discussing everything calmly had to be postponed.

Baekhyun and Jongdae were sleeping most of the time during the car ride. They had patched them up as best as they could and Lay examined their bodies, finding out that Baekhyun had a cracked fibular and Jongdae was suffering from two broken ribs on his left side. They had stabilized their injuries and gave them enough painkillers to transport them from Busan back to Seoul until a doctor would check on them.  
While Junmyeon and Minseok took care of Jongdae and sat next to him during the short flight, Chanyeol and Sehun were monitoring Baekhyun.   
Meanwhile, the others were sitting together and Kyungsoo and Jongin were eager to know what had gone wrong during the mission.   
“Lay-hyung?” Kyungsoo called the android, who immediately turned his focus on him. “Can you tell me what happened down there?”   
“The map of the ventilation system you gave me was wrong,” Lay told him. “So I tried to analyze the underground and found out that the room we had been looking for was at another place. But Baekhyun and Jongdae didn’t want to change the way and we separated. Minseok and I then found the room with the book. The alarm started and we had to hurry to not get caught. I knew that Minseok was save, but Baekhyun and Jongdae could have been in danger so I decided to look for them while Minseok went back with the book. I found them and Chanyeol and Sehun fighting against our enemies. I protected them and we ran away. I am sorry that I did not manage to protect them properly. I have failed my mission.”  
“That’s not true. You had to protect Minseokie-hyung as well. Normally, we never separate unless it’s part of our plan. Jongdae-hyung and Baekhyunie-hyung did a mistake by not trusting you and I did a mistake by giving you the wrong map. Without you, the others would probably be more hurt than now…maybe worse,” Kyungsoo looked over his shoulder, watching how Junmyeon was caressing Jongdae’s hair in a protecting manner. Without Lay, they wouldn’t have even found the book.   
“If you imply that ‘ _worse_ ’ means dead, then yes,” Lay said without hesitance. “Although my body was damaged during the mission, I managed to save them.”  
Suddenly, Jongin clicked his tongue before a short and spiteful laugh escaped his lips.   
“You really don’t know how to be humble, huh?” he asked with raised eyebrows and crossed his arms.   
“What does it mean to be humble?” Lay simply asked innocently, not able to notice the sarcasm in Jongin’s voice. The other wanted to sigh with annoyance, but when he looked at the clear blue eyes, he stopped himself. Lay waited patiently for his answer, ready to know more about the human nature like a little, curious kid. Instead of annoyance, his feelings turned into sympathy. He knew that this android had saved his brothers. Without teaching him how to be human, he would never be able to understand them.   
“It means that you don’t show your pride openly. When people get praised for something they did well, they reply modestly. Like ‘I didn’t do much’ or ‘I tried my best’ and so on. Arrogance is a character trait nobody of us likes,” Jongin said.   
“But Minseok-hyung told me that I should be proud of myself. I do not understand how I can be both.” Lay tilted his head, almost looking like a puppy.   
“Be proud of who you are, but humble about what you do. Treat everyone with respect, be kind and understanding. One thing does not rule out the other.”  
“You’re a bit of a hypocrite right now, Jongin-ah,” Kyungsoo said with a chuckle. “If you teach Lay-hyung humbleness and respect, then at least show him how to do it properly.”  
“I didn’t-” Jongin began, but his words got stuck in his throat. He knew that he wasn’t kind towards the android and now hearing those words coming out of his own mouth felt weird, as if he didn’t deserve to say something like this. Kyungsoo was right.   
“I will try my best to be humble, respectful, kind and understanding. Thank you, Jongin,” Lay said with a smile.   
“You’re welcome…”

 

  
*

 

  
As soon as they landed, Baekhyun and Jongdae were brought to a hospital, while Lay activated his self-repair program to take care of his damage.

It was in the middle of the night, when all of them got back to their house, dead tired and ready to fall into bed. But before anyone could close their eyes, Baekhyun and Jongdae wanted to say something. They were all sitting in the living room, more or less awake and paying attention.   
“We’re sorry,” Baekhyun began and they bowed in front of the group. “It was a mistake to separate. We want to apologize to everyone.” He turned to Lay. “To you, too.”  
“You saved us. And Minseokie-hyung told me that you protected him from getting shot as well,” Jongdae continued. “Thank you, Lay…hyung.”  
“It’s my duty to protect you no matter what.” His eyes wandered to Jongin before he formed his lips to a soft smile. “I tried my best.”   
Jongin had to smirk at that, showing him a thumbs up. If Lay would try to learn and analyze everyone’s behavior, he didn’t want to show him his cold side anymore, knowing that it wouldn’t help anybody. We couldn’t see him as a human, but not as something bad either. What Lay will be… _Who_ he will be, depends completely on them. This would be the hardest mission so far in his career, but he was ready to face it now.   
“I’m glad you’ve learnt your lesson,” Junmyeon said. “But we should go to sleep now and rest.” He stood up, stretched himself and went upstairs, almost hearing his bed calling for him in a sweet and soothing voice.   
“Could someone help me with the stairs?” Baekhyun asked, pointing at his cast around his left leg. Minseok put a hand on Lay’s back and pushed the android towards him.   
“Lay can do it.”  
“I can carry you to the second floor.” Lay said, but Baekhyun hesitated, not really sure about the situation. What if the android would let him fall? “Please trust me. I will not hurt you.”  
Baekhyun looked at him. Did he trust him? Did he trust a _machine_ to take care of him while he was vulnerable?  
While he was thinking, he noticed an error in reasoning. He wouldn’t trust a _stranger_ either. Baekhyun already knew and experienced that Lay was capable of lifting a person. He did carry Jongdae out of the underground without problems. This issue wasn’t about Lay being a machine, it was the fact that he still didn’t know anything about him.   
_Would you trust a machine or a human?_  
Would you trust a stranger?  
Was Lay still a stranger to him? Yes and no. And it wouldn’t change unless he would give him a chance. With a sigh, he nodded.   
“Okay.”  
“Thank you.” Lay lifted him up in his arms and carried him to his room. “Can I enter the room or should I let you down?”  
“You can go in…” Baekhyun was surprised that Lay asked, since the others wouldn’t even wait one second before busting through the door. “You can come to my room if you knock,” he said.   
“Okay.” Lay nodded and knocked against the wood, making Baekhyun laugh a little.   
“You only have to knock when I’m inside,” he chuckled.   
“I understand.”  
They entered the room and were greeted by a messy floor, however not as chaotic as Junmyeon’s place, Lay noticed.   
“Where should I let you down?”  
“On the bed.”  
After Baekhyun was sitting on the mattress, he looked up to the android, smiling tired but honestly. “Thank you.”  
“I didn’t do much,” Lay answered with a similar smile. “Can I help you with anything else?”  
“Nah. I’ll probably fall asleep as soon as my head hits the pillow.”  
“I will leave you alone then. Good night.” Lay left the room and closed the door behind himself.

When he went back to the first floor, he spotted Minseok in the kitchen, drinking some tea while leaning against the fridge.   
“Why are you not sleeping, hyung?” he asked him and carefully grabbed Minseok’s biceps to check his vitals. “You clearly show signs of exhaustion and lack of sleep. You need to rest.”  
“I know, but it’s hard for me to turn off my mind,” Minseok said before he took a sip. “It’s one of my flaws. I can’t sleep well after such missions in which my brothers got hurt. Everyone here has their fads. Like me being a cleaning freak or Junmyeon-ah chewing his food loudly.”  
“What about the rest of EXO?” Lay asked generously interested.   
“Baekhyun-ah tends to bite his finger or chews on his nails when he’s nervous or restless. Jongin-ah sometimes dances in the shower. I always tell him to not do that because it’s dangerous. Sehunie often seals his lips tight and rolls them in when he’s thinking. It’s quite cute,” Minseok chuckled. “Kyungsoo-yah and Jongdae-yah often either hum or sing when they’re bored. Jongdae-yah has the loudest voice here in the house, you won’t miss it. And Chanyeol sniffs and breathes very loudly when he sleeps.”  
“Why do humans do that?” Lay asked, but Minseok could only shrug with his shoulders.   
“There isn’t really a reason. It’s part of our personalities. Some habits stop someday, others will last forever or change,” he explains, finishing half of his tea.   
“Will I have a habit, even though I am not human?”   
“Well…I think you already have some kind of habit.”  
“Really?” Lay tilted his head and Minseok laughed a little before he finished his tea with a last gulp.   
“Yes. Maybe you’ll notice some more habits of us over the next weeks.” He had a good yawn, put the empty mug into the dishwasher, before he said good night to Lay and went up to go to bed. The android decided to wait in the living room, activating his energy-saving mode until the sun would rise again. You could almost say, that he went to sleep as well…

 

  
*

 

  
The next day, nobody complained about Lay sitting at the dining table when the members came down to eat breakfast one by one. Jongin was the last member who woke up at eleven in the morning and shoved the leftovers into his mouth like he had been starving. When he suddenly choked and slightly punched his sternum, he took Lay’s hand and patted it against his back, showing the android what to do. Although the android used a bit too much strength and Jongin had to spit up his precious rice with chicken, it did its job by stopping the other from coughing.   
“Next time, a bit gentler, but it’s a start,” Jongin said with a chuckle.

Everyone seemed to have accepted Lay now, although Sehun and Chanyeol were still a bit doubtful. They had seen that a normal bullet was nothing against the android and it both amazed and scared them at the same time. Lay was strong and would definitely be a danger towards humans if he would fight against one. So far, he only protected and didn’t use violence, but what if he would turn against them? If Lay would become more and more human, would that also mean that he would begin to have opinions? Feelings? Doubts? Could an artificial intelligence develop itself so far to have a free will?  
Not, if there were barriers and rules. Lay’s system is based on rules that he cannot break. But what would happen if those rules would fall apart?

  
And what would happen if Lay fell into the wrong hands?


	7. Sacrifice

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two months later, EXO goes on a new mission. This time, it doesn’t end well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You gonna hate me for this lol
> 
> ENJOY!

It’s been two months now since the last mission and both Baekhyun and Jongdae were up and about, running and jumping around in the forest as if nothing had happened. In the meanwhile, all of them had warmed up to Lay, even Chanyeol and Sehun had stopped shouting at him or avoiding him. The group did their best to educate the android what was meant to be human, although Lay still couldn’t understand the complexity of emotions and feelings, he managed to copy gestures and expressions of every member to make the communication less awkward within the group.

One day, everyone gathered in the living room, playing a card game while sitting around the coffee table. Baekhyun had explained Lay the rules and let him watch two rounds before the android was included.   
Lay analyzed everyone’s reactions, like when Minseok groaned as he had to take two cards or when Junmyeon began to cheer when he could lead his next-to-last card. It was interesting, since not everyone showed as much emotions as others did.   
“Lay-hyung, what color do you want me to lead? Red or green?” Kyungsoo teased him and wiggled with his eyebrows. Lay quickly looked at his cards – everyone did that once in a while so he just adapted himself – and smiled at him.  
“Green would be good.”  
“Alright~,” Kyungsoo giggled and played his red card.   
“Oh, that’s mean, Soo-yah!” Junmyeon said, but laughed nonetheless. “Of course he would say-”  
“Thank you.” Lay grinned before he winked at him and played his last two _red_ cards and won the game. He clapped in his hands, showing the same excitement as Baekhyun did when he had one the last round. Everyone’s jaws dropped, staring at the cheering android.   
“D-Did he just…bluffed?” Sehun whispered, still trying to understand what just happened.   
“I swear I didn’t teach him that!” Baekhyun lifted his hands, looking innocent. Junmyeon laughed and patted Lay’s back.   
“Congrats!”  
“I want a rematch!” Chanyeol said with passion burning in his eyes. “Lay wouldn’t have won if Kyungsoo-yah didn’t ask him what color he wants!”  
Soon, the room was filled with a bunch of loud voices and Lay just watched the whole scene until Minseok joined him by sitting a little bit farther away from the crossfire, giving him a smile.  
“I’m glad that everyone accepted you now.”  
“They are happier than when I arrived,” Lay said. “It is definitely an improvement.”  
“How do you feel about that?” Minseok suddenly asked. “Do you like it here?”  
“What?” Lay looked confused, blinking a few times and staring into nothing before he could answer. “I do not know.”  
“Well, maybe…someday you’ll know.” Minseok stood up and stretched his arms. “Feelings are instincts, something you can’t control. You can’t help but smile when you’re happy, or cry when you’re sad. It’s the moment when the heart takes over your body and not your mind.”  
“I am not sure if I understand that,” Lay said.   
“Don’t worry. It’s okay.”

 

  
*

 

  
The next mission’s instructions came just the next morning. They needed to observe an underground gang that was under suspicion of dealing drugs and kidnapping, however, there was no evidence to actually arrest them. Their mission by itself didn’t sound special or dangerous compared to their normal jobs, they just had to find the place, take some pictures and check their storage if there were any illegal drugs before they could go back.  
“Easy-peasy,” Chanyeol said. “Why do they need us to do that?”  
“I don’t know.” Junmyeon shrugged. “I just got the info per mail. I already did some research, but it looks like their headquarters is either well-hidden or moves constantly. I can’t locate it.”  
“I’ll take care of it, hyung,” Kyungsoo said as he raised his hand. Lay, who was sitting next to him patted his thigh, asking if he could help him with that task. Together, they went to Kyungsoo’s room and opened the laptop. Lay used his own software in his head to locate the headquarters.

Twenty-five minutes later, Lay finished his work with a smile.  
“I am done.”  
“You found it?!”  
Without saying a word, Lay pulled at his left thumb and suddenly, the finger was off and a USB connection appeared, sticking out of the synthetic flesh like a bone. Kyungsoo cringed at the sight.  
“Wow, that’s disturbing, don’t do that ever again when I’m looking at you.”  
“I am sorry, if it makes you uncomfortable,” Lay just said. “But I need to connect myself with your laptop.”  
“Ehm…sure. Go ahead.”  
Lay pushed the USB-Thumb into the port and loaded every information he had found about the gang to Kyungsoo’s computer. When he was done, he disconnected and put the rest of his thumb back onto his finger.  
“You should delete your internet history before one of the other members finds it.”  
Kyungsoo blushed at the humorless comment, scratching his neck sheepishly.   
“We’re living together for too many years now. It’s too late for those tips.”  
“I am sorry.”  
“Is that the map?” Kyungsoo pointed at one of the data that was now laying on his desktop. Lay nodded and a second later, the screen was filled with a photo, made from a satellite, showing a grey building, surrounded by nothing but fields.   
“A warehouse?”  
“It was an old farm, seventeen years ago, but got abandoned after a great fire. After that, the remained warehouse was a known place for homeless people and drug addicts to meet up. But this has changed since the last year. Several trucks and vans have started to stay there overnight like it was a parking area. However, filled trucks were emptied and empty trucks were filled there before they left again. One of the drivers is the one, Junmyeon has just showed us on a photo in the living room. This might not be the headquarters, but…”  
“The place where they store the drugs,” Kyungsoo muttered, clicking through the other documents.   
“Yes.”  
“That’s amazing, hyung!” He adjusted his glasses and stood up, hugging the other out of nowhere. “Thank you!”  
“You are welcome.” Lay stood still, not knowing what to do until Kyungsoo let go of him and hurried out of the room to tell the others the news. The android followed, thinking about the new gesture he just experienced. He had seen the others doing it among each other, but suddenly being involved was like an error in his analysis, which had tried to explain the meaning of hugging and skinship. For him, there was no reason that a human would hug him or that he would hug a human. Kyungsoo’s reaction was something he couldn’t explain.  
_Instinct_.  
He remembered Minseok’s words. Lay couldn’t see it coming because there was no logical thinking behind it.   
_Logical thinking_.  
Could he do something, that wasn’t logical? Was an android able to react _out of instinct_ at all?

 

  
*

 

  
Only a few days later, EXO was sitting in their van, ready to start their mission. They had parked a bit secluded from the warehouse, hidden by the forest border that was surrounding them. The trap, which was laying in the middle of the lane, was ready to destroy the next car’s tires as soon as the vehicle rolled over it. The spikes would cut the rubber like a snake its prey’s skin.   
“ _It’s coming!_ ” Xiumin’s voice was heard through the walkie-talkie. He was standing several hundred meters away from them to watch the street so that he could alarm his members as soon as one of the trucks would pass by, on its way to the warehouse.  
“Copy that,” Suho answered into the device and looked at Chanyeol and Kai. Both of them were the only ones wearing simple overalls.

Half a minute later, a loud bang echoed through the area as the tires were penetrated by the spikes. The truck slowed down and stopped eventually.   
“Go!” Suho shouted and D.O. opened the van’s door so that the rest of them could hop out. Sehun and Baekhyun yanked the truck’s driver’s door open and pulled the confused man out of his seat.   
“Hey!” he shouted, tried to kick and flail around as Sehun grabbed him from behind, pushed his arms under the man’s shoulders and rested his hands against his enemy’s head and neck, forcing him to lift his arms. Baekhyun did a well-aimed box in the man’s stomach, right at his midriff and it didn’t take long until he blacked out.   
At the same time, Chen and Lay attacked the co-driver and with a punch against the older man’s temple, they knocked him out as well. They pulled both men to the van, where Chanyeol and Kai were ready to change their clothes.   
“Here are your mics and earplugs.” D.O. wired their new clothes so that the microphones weren’t visible and did a quick soundcheck to make sure that everything was working correctly.   
“Your cameras?” Suho asked.   
“Already on.” Kai raised his wrist, showing him the watch. A little lens was hidden in the center of the clock and with the button at the right side of the watch, he could take a photo or film something if he used the button on the left. Baekhyun and Chen were busy tying the two men against one of the trees while Lay and Sehun changed the damaged tire within twenty seconds.   
“Are you ready?” Sehun asked.   
“Let’s go.” Chanyeol patted Kai’s shoulder and together, they got into the truck and started the engine. The rest of them members watched them as they headed towards the warehouse. Only a bit later, Xiumin reached their van and got informed that everything was going according to plan.  
So far.

 

  
*

 

  
When Chanyeol and Kai reached their destination, nervousness filled their bodies like a cold shower. They didn’t have much information about this place and the gang in general so they had to improvise most of their plan, hoping it would work. Both of them were good actors, like most of EXO, always able to slip into different characters if they needed to.

They parked the truck right next to another one before they opened the door and got out.   
_Go with the flow_.   
This was the only way to not gain any attention. They had to behave like they knew what they were doing, as if they were aware what kind of items they would pick up here.  
“What took you guys so long?” An older man suddenly called, beckoning them over to enter the warehouse.   
“We had a blowout,” Kai answered and approached the gang member. He was a bit chubby and smaller than both of them, but his rugged features and the tattoos over his hands were enough evidence that this guy was everything but an orderly citizen. He eyed Kai and Chanyeol with a frown.   
“Our boss is already waiting for you in the office. Follow me.” The man leaded them the way through the big warehouse that was mostly empty, but here and there were laying some boxes and bunches of cigarette butts. It smelled of tobacco, dust and wet stone. Chanyeol looked around and adjusted his watch, taking a few pictures from the scenery.   
“I hope for you that our boss is in a good mood today. Not really one of the patient kind, but I bet you already know, haha.” The man grinned and lighted a cigarette that he fished out of his breast pocket.   
“Yeah. He already showed his bad moods in front of my friend here,” Chanyeol said and pointed at Kai, who just nodded.   
“ _Chanyeol!_ ” Suho’s voice suddenly reached his ear with a hiss, surprising him.   
“Hmmh~” The man hummed. “ _He_ really has some mood swings.” The tone in his voice had dropped, sounding almost threatening.   
And then, Chanyeol realized his mistake. He used pronouns for a person he didn’t know if they were male or female. The man in front of him had been smart enough to not expose his boss’ identity.  
Their cover was blown.   
Before Suho could give them any advice, they were dragged into a small room at the corner of the warehouse. Four men were sitting there, as tall as Kai, but twice as broad as him. They could hear how the door was closed behind their backs and got locked up.   
“Take care of these snoopers, guys. I’ll inform the boss that she should relocate our storage before more of them show up!” The man laughed and his voice slowly faded as he left them alone with the giants in the room.   
“Suho!” Kai shouted into the microphone. “Red!” It was his last word he could say before a fist punched the air out of his lungs. He gasped as pain shot up his body, making his legs wobble.   
Chanyeol wasn’t any different. He tried to kick the door open as two hands grabbed his arms and threw him across the room. His back crashed against one of the tables that were standing around. The tabletop broke in half, sending him to the ground. A groan escaped his lips as he straightened himself. Thankfully, he saw the next punch coming and dodged before he could land a blow with his fist against the man’s side. His victory didn’t last long as somebody pulled at his hair and kicked against the back of his legs, forcing him to fall down on his knees. Kai followed shortly afterwards as one of the giants hit his lower back and pushed him down at his shoulders so that he landed right next to Chanyeol.   
Cold metal touched the skin, as if the Grim Reaper pointed an icy finger at his skull when the gun was pressed against his forehead.   
“Any last wishes?”

 

  
*

 

  
As soon as Suho hissed into the microphone, the members knew that something was going wrong at the warehouse. Nervousness spread itself out in the van like a smoke-bomb. Were Chanyeol and Kai going to be okay?   
This question was quickly answered by Kai’s loud “Red!” followed by a thud and a painful groan. Suho’s mind was racing. They had to get them out of there.   
“Guys! Prepare your weap-” He stopped himself when he turned around in the driver’s seat to look around one. The door was open so that they could observe the unconscious drivers at the tree. As he counted the members’ heads, he paused his breathing.   
“Where’s Lay?”

 

  
*

 

  
Chanyeol closed his eyes as the man released the safety catch of the gun. Trembling fingers found his and slipped in-between his own fingers. Kai’s hand was cold and sweaty and his nails drilled themselves into the back of Chanyeol’s hand. A sudden loud bang made his blood run cold.  
_JONGIN!  
_A second bang followed, but Chanyeol was still alive. The gun wasn’t pressed against his head anymore and he dared to open his eyes. Kai squeezed his hand, making him realize that both of them weren’t dead yet.   
With the third bang, the door flew across the room and the giants immediately backed off and pointed the guns at the new intruder.   
“Who are you?!” One of them yelled. “If you come nearer I’ll-” He couldn’t even end his sentence as Lay jumped forward and punched him in the face. The android was _fast_. With well-aimed punches, he managed to knock two of them out within a few seconds. Kai and Chanyeol stood up, eyes wide.   
“Lay!”  
“You have to flee,” the android said as he took care of the rest of the enemies. “If they notice us, we will be surrounded and I cannot fight against everyone at the same time.” He finished the last giant with a powerful blow in his ribs before he turned around and pushed Chanyeol and Kai out of the room. They could already hear several voices, sounding angry and more than pissed.   
“Hurry!” Lay shouted and the three of them sprinted through the warehouse. They could see the exit. They almost made it.  
Almost.

Fifteen meters left.

Ten meters left.

_  
BANG._

Kai could hear a loud crash right after the gunshot echoed through the hall, ringing painfully in his ears. He saw Chanyeol in front of him and turned around.  
Lay was on the ground, facing the floor while his back was covered with a bunch of holes. Somebody had hit him with a shotgun. Even the android couldn’t manage to not get seriously damaged because of this, but Lay was still moving, trying to stand up.   
“LAY!” Kai screamed and kneeled in front of him, not caring that the enemies almost caught up with them.   
“You have to go!” Lay said, voice not showing any signs of pain. “It is my duty to protect you!”  
“Kai!” Chanyeol was calling him frantically, waiting at the exit. “Hurry up!”  
“We can’t let him here!”  
“KAI!” The android grabbed his wrist, looking him in the eyes. “He’s your hyung. Listen to him.”  
“B-But…” Tears welled up in Jongin’s eyes. His heart was winning against his mind, against Kai.   
“Please...”  
“KAI, NOW!”  
“I promise we’ll come back and save you. Wait for us, Lay.” Jongin stood up and sprinted to Chanyeol, shouting his last words into the big hall. “HANG IN THERE, HYUNG!”

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D


	8. Team

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> EXO wants to save their android, while Lay has to face the gang leader and their plans.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoever read my other EXO fic "The Power of Friendship" will know about my horrible cliffhangers so here we go :D
> 
> Enjoy!

“What are we supposed to do now?” Sehun asked, pressing the pillow tightly against his chest while he was sitting restlessly on the couch. Not even ten minutes had passed since they were back home. Kyungsoo and Minseok were taking care of Jongin’s and Chanyeol’s injuries and Jongdae just finished brewing some coffee for everyone. Junmyeon was silently standing next to the window, looking outside and watching the colorful leaves dancing in the wind, desperately trying to not fall down until a strong blow hit them and sealed their fate. Suddenly, he could feel a hand on his shoulder, pulling him back into their bitter reality.   
“Hyung…” Baekhyun looked particularly serious, sharp eyes and missing smile underlining the sudden change of mood in the household. Everyone looked sad, angry and helpless.   
“He saved our lives…” Jongin muttered as Minseok tightened the bandage around his ribcage to stabilize his cracked and bruised bones. The oldest muttered something about not moving too much and holding still, but Jongin’s mind blocked it out. He could still see Lay lying on the ground in front of him, barely moving as if the android was suffering from weakness.  
“We had no other choice,” Chanyeol said. “His rescue mission would’ve count for nothing.”  
“What will happen to him?” Jongdae asked, not looking at someone in particular. He could imagine the answer of his question, but as long as nobody would voice it, there was still hope left, weak and vulnerable like the fighting leaves in the wind outside.   
“He has a fast repairing system, but such a damage weakened him nonetheless,” Junmyeon said. “There’s no doubt that they’ll find out that he’s not human.”  
“They destroy him.” The words tasted bitterly on Minseok’s tongue.  
_They kill him_.   
“I don’t think so.” Kyungsoo looked up as he finished treating Chanyeol’s wounds. Everyone was staring at him, waiting for him to elaborate. “It would be stupid if they destroy him. Lay is the first human-looking android, armed with amazing software and hardware. For us, he’s a companion, someone who helps us, but for them…”  
“It’s a weapon,” Chanyeol finished, shuddering at the thought. “They will manipulate him and use him as a weapon.”  
“Lay has a strong firewall,” Kyungsoo continued. “It’s not easy to break it, but it’s only a matter of time until they would succeed.”  
“How much time do you think we have to save him?” Junmyeon asked and he didn’t like the answer at all.  
“One day. At the very most.”  
“Then let’s go.” Baekhyun shouldered his bag. “We still have our equipment in the car. We could be back at the warehouse in less than two hours.” He looked around one, waiting for them to finally move.  
“Baekhyunie-hyung’s right,” Sehun said and stood up. “If it would be one of us, we wouldn’t even hesitate. Yes, Lay’s weird and I still think he’s awkward, but he saved you guys. I don’t care who or what he is, but I appreciate what he’s done. So, are you ready?”  
Sehun’s speech surprised everyone. The youngest clearly stood to his morals and they couldn’t be more proud of him right now. Junmyeon smiled and squeezed his shoulder.  
“You’re right.” He turned around and raised his voice. “You heard our maknae! Let’s go!”

 

  
*

 

  
When Lay opened his eyes again, he couldn’t move. His arms and legs were chained against the chair he was sitting on and his vision had a few blackouts and errors before he could figure out where he was. The room was dark so he activated his night view, scanning his surroundings. Apart from the chair in the middle of the room, there was a desk at the right corner with a closed laptop on top of it. His infrared camera told him that two men were standing at the other side of the door he was facing. He did a quick check-up on his body condition.

_61% damage.  
Progressing…_

The repairing was taking longer than expected. Thankfully, most of his software was inside his head, so he could still function without major problems, while his body took the most damage. He wouldn’t be able to get free under this condition.

A few minutes later, the door was opened and a woman stepped into the room, long black hair falling over her shoulders in waves.   
“You’re awake,” she said and leaned against the edge of the table, long nails drumming on the metal. “If ‘awake’ would be the best description. You’ve been perforated like a Swiss cheese and yet here you are, showing no signs of blood or pain.” She leaned forward. “What are you?”  
“I am not supposed to say that,” Lay simply answered.  
“I checked your body. Your skin and muscles feel real, but your eyes are blue. Not really common for an Asian if you ask me. Are you some kind of hybrid or experiment of the government?”  
“I am not supposed to say that,” he told her a second time, using the exact same intonation as before. The woman frowned and pushed herself away from the table to stand in front of him. She pressed her palm against his chest, feeling for a heartbeat that didn’t exist. Instead of a bumping heart, she felt a soft vibration and droning and pulled her hand away.  
“You’re a machine?” She was shocked, but only for a second before her expression changed into curiosity. Her fingers trailed over Lay’s body as if she tried to seduce him.  
“A human-looking robot,” she whispered to herself, looking to his eyes. “Astonishing.” Her fingers went to his face, lifting his jaw to look at him properly like she was examining an exhibition piece. “You could help me out with some stuff, cute little robot.”  
“I do not do anything that will harm my wards or is against my wards’ orders,” Lay said.  
“Oh? And who are those ‘wards’?” she asked with a raised eyebrow, running her fingers through his hair as if she caressed a pet.   
“I am not supposed to say that.”  
“I hate that sentence.” She sighed and pulled her hands away, looking displeased. “Don’t you have some kind of reset button?”  
“I am not supposed to-”  
“SHUT UP!”  
“-say that.” Lay looked at her and smiled. “I do not feel pain or other emotions. When my system will be hacked, my software immediately deletes itself and nothing but this vessel will be left. You can destroy me.”  
“You might not be human but your creator is. There’s no firewall my men can’t destroy.” With these words, she left the room and Lay checked his system again.

_59% damage.  
Progressing…_

_Canceled._

He would need all his output to work against the hacking attack.

_  
_ *

 

  
“Can’t you drive faster, Suho?!” Chanyeol pressed from behind, staring at the road in front of them.   
“We’re in a van that’s loaded with several weapons and eight men so _no_ , I can’t drive faster. I’m already pressing the pedal against the floor.”   
EXO was rushing down the highway and while Suho was driving, the rest of them was preparing themselves for the attack, wearing bulletproof vests and armed with guns and cartridges. Meanwhile, Kai explained to the others how the warehouse looked like and drew a sketch on a paper.   
“Here’s the only area that contains more rooms and doors.” He encircled the left wing. “We should look there and spread out in our usual teams.”  
“Both you and Chanyeol are still hurt,” Chen said. “Sehun is the only unharmed in your team. We should do another constellation.”  
“I agree with that.” Xiumin nodded. “Kai comes with me and Baekhyun. Chen teams up with Sehun and Chanyeol.”  
“Fine.”

 

  
*

 

  
It took the bald man a few minutes to figure out how to form a connection with the android before he eventually found the hidden USB port in his thumb.  
“How witty,” he chuckled and connected Lay with the laptop on the table with the aid of a long cable. The gang leader was back in the room, now sitting on a chair next to the android to watch over him. She smiled and patted his hair again.   
“Any last words?”  
Lay remembered his last weeks with EXO, how they taught him self-confidence, humbleness and much more.  
_“Do you like it here?”_ Minseok had asked him and now, he thought he knew the answer. He was locked in this room, unable to move or to continue his repairing process. He couldn’t tell this woman his information about EXO or just go back to the members to help and protect them. At home, he could move freely, could learn and improve his A.I. while he was allowed to ask questions and able to fulfill his mission as EXO’s protector.  
His current situation was full of negative variables while his home developed itself into a place of improvement and _freedom_.   
Yes, he liked his home. This situation right now was…it _felt_ …

_…unfair._

“I will protect my brothers, no matter what.”   
“Oh, sweet.” The woman rolled with her eyes and raised her hand. “Start,” he said to the bald man. “This thing is a little too stoic for my liking.”  
“Yes, boss.” With a nod, the man double-clicked on a program on his desktop and a few seconds later, Lay’s vision turned red, alarming him of an intruder in his system.

_ALARM._

_UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS._

_FIREWALL: 99%_

The woman smiled as the android froze, completely concentrating on fighting against the hacking software. A progress bar appeared on the laptop’s screen.

_Progressing…1%_

_Progressing…2%_

 

  
*

 

  
This time, EXO didn’t put themselves to some bother and parked the van in the middle of the entrance of the warehouse before they opened the door and stormed out of the car, pistols ready to protect themselves against their enemies. They were immediately surrounded by a dozen of strong looking men.  
“We got your backs!” D.O. shouted before he slipped through the open-top, armed with a machinegun. Suho pushed his foot against the pedal and the van rushed through the area. D.O. didn’t point at any targets, he wasn’t a mass murderer, but he destroyed the building’s windows and gained a lot of attention, decoying the gang members out. A few moments later, the whole parking lot was filled with people, at least thirty men and a few women, armed with pistols and shotguns.  
“NOW!” Suho shouted to give D.O. and the rest of the members the signal. D.O. ripped the detonator from the dazzle grenade and threw it into the crowd. He slipped back into the van and hid his eyes behind a jacket. Suho did the same by pressing his eyes into the crook of his arm. Xiumin and the others also closed their eyes and protected them from the dangerous light, right before the grenade could explode. They could hear painful moans and groans coming from their enemies as they got blinded. When the light was gone, they hurried through the crowd and entered the warehouse.  
“This way!” Chanyeol said and leaded the way.

 

  
*

 

  
_Progressing…87%_

 

 

_Progressing…88%_

_Progressing…89%_

_Progressing…90%_

_WARNING_

_Do you want to format your hard drive?_

_►YES_

_►NO_

_Yes._

_Are you sure?_

_►YES_

_►NO_

_Yes._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :D


	9. Brother

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Progressing…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh boi, that's going to be an emotional ride.
> 
> Enjoy!!

Chanyeol and the others were rushing down the corridor in hopes of finding their precious android before it would be too late. Too many rooms created too many possibilities and his leg started to hurt after kicking door after door open. Xiumin and the rest of them did the same, but they could hear the aggressive shouting from their enemies’ right behind them. It wouldn’t take long until they would catch up on them.   
“Guys!” Xiumin called. “One group has to keep them back or we’ll be dead before we even found him.”  
“You go,” Chen said. “Me, Sehun and Chanyeol take care of them.”  
“Be careful.”  
“You, too.”  
“Come on,” Baekhyun pressed and pulled at Xiumin’s shirt, who had a hard time turning away from the others. Chen gave him a confident nod.  
_Please don’t die._

Xiumin, Kai and Baekhyun sprinted straight forward until the hallway took a turn left. As soon as they ran around the corner, they spotted a stairway which leaded them downstairs to the basement. Xiumin was at the front and suddenly stopped abruptly after jumping down the last steps. He spread his arms so that Baekhyun and Kai were forced to slow down as well.

Five men, armed with machine guns, were standing in the middle of the hallway, barrels pointed at them as if they had waited for this moment. Baekhyun could hear how they cocked the guns so there were only two options left. Die or running upstairs.   
“Retreat!” Xiumin shouted and turned around, pushing them upstairs as the men opened the fire. Ear-piercing gunshots echoed through the corridor and Kai ducked his head out of reflex to protect himself as best as he could. Between the shots, he could hear a scream, but he wasn’t sure if it was his own or one of the other’s. When he reached the last step, his hand reached to his hip, where a grenade was attached to his belt. His index finger slipped through the small ring and pulled the trigger. Without wasting more time that would kill him in the next four seconds, he threw the deadly weapon downstairs.   
“Tick-Tock!” He screamed their code word as loud as he could to tell the others to take cover from the stairs. _  
Two.  
_Kai pressed his hands painfully hard against the sides of his head and opened his mouth so that the sonic wouldn’t destroy his eardrums. __  
Three.  
He lay down as fast as he could. The bang vibrated through his whole body and the floor quivered as in an earthquake. Although he had covered his ears, his head was still hurting like he was experiencing the worst migraine in his life. After that, ringing silence.

He wasn’t sure how long he needed to come back to his senses, but as he opened his eyes, he saw Baekhyun sitting next to Xiumin while he was about to rip one of his sleeves off.   
“You think you can walk?” Baekhyun asked worriedly as he wrapped the fabric around the other’s leg. Kai frowned and got onto his knees so he could crawl to his brothers.   
“It’s just a graze,” Xiumin said under a hiss. “Hurts like hell, but I don’t lose much blood. Blessing in disguise.”  
Kai looked at the wounded leg. It was indeed not a life-threatening injury, but it looked really painful and the fabric was already showing red stains from the blood. He and Baekhyun gave Xiumin a leg-up.   
“Good thinking, Kai,” Xiumin said and looked down the stairs. The men were spread around the floor and steps like lifeless dolls, which wasn’t only a metaphor as far as they could see. Kai took a deep breath and looked against the ceiling, trying to avoid the sight.   
“We should hurry,” Baekhyun said. “Let’s go.”  
“Okay.”

Although Xiumin was limping, they pulled through and after Kai knocked out two security guards who were standing in front of a door, they knew that they were getting closer. Baekhyun bashed into the next room with a gun in his hands and the sight in front of him scared him.

Lay was sitting on a chair, eyes closed and not moving. His thumb was connected with a cable that was leading to a computer on the left side of the otherwise empty room.   
Nobody was there. It was like they just left the android behind like an unfinished project before they fled. However, the computer was still illuminating the room, coloring it into a flickering blue.   
“Lay!” Baekhyun shouted horrified and dropped the weapon before he kneeled in front of the non-responding android. Meanwhile, Xiumin hobbled to the computer, ready to pull the cable off so he could cut the connection, but Kai stopped him with a shout.  
“Wait!” His eyes were wide and he pointed at the screen. “I-If you stop, he…” Kai had to gulp. “Do you see the progress bar? Lay is…deleting his hard drive. If you yank the cable, everything will be gone.”  
“But look!” Xiumin sounded desperate. “It’s at seventy-eight percent!”  
“Call D.O.!” Baekhyun suddenly said and turned his head to look at them. “He should be able to stop it correctly.”  
“But it’ll be too late, to wait until he comes.”  
“One of us will do it. He’ll give us instructions.” Baekhyun stood up and reached for his walkie-talkie.

 

  
*

 

  
“He’s what?!” D.O. couldn’t believe what Baekhyun just told him through the radio. Lay was deleting his hard drive? That would mean that everything, Lay’s programs, systems and A.I. would be gone. He would be _dead_.   
“ _He’s attached to a computer, it’s already at eighty-one percent!_ ” he heard Baekhyun almost shouting into his ear.   
“It won’t be stopped if you cut the connection. It only visualizes the process,” he told him in the calmest voice he could manage at this moment. “It’s not the computer that’s deleting the hard drive, but Lay himself. You…you need to stop him somehow.”  
“ _How?!_ ”  
“I don’t know,” he sighed. “I really don’t know, I’m sorry…”

 

  
*

 

  
“ _I’m sorry._ ” Baekhyun tried his best to hold back his tears.

_Progressing…84%_

Lay had promised to protect them. He saw no other opportunity than to sacrifice himself for the sake of the team. Yes, it was the most important rule in his system, but wasn’t the system just another form of morality? Wasn’t the human brain itself nothing else than a complex program with electric impulses that controlled their bodies? Lay’s artificial intelligence learnt everything from them like a child from its parents. He knew his rules like a sense of justice, to know what was right and what was wrong. And maybe, although nobody could know, Lay would have developed something that could be seen as emotions. Why should a heart, which was made out of muscles, flesh and blood, be something else than a mechanic pump? It would do the same thing, just a bit different. Hormones existed in human bodies to trigger specific processes in the brain, influencing our mood and feelings like an invisible might that we couldn’t control. What if there were other things that could create such processes? What if Lay developed something unconsciously without himself knowing about it? Something that would influence his system like hormones would do to the human body. A virus.  
A virus of unpredictability.  
A virus of emotions.  
A virus of humanity.

_Processing…88%_

“Please…” Kai looked at the android, his vision blurry from the tears that didn’t want to fall down, welling up in his eyes like the last hope he had. “Hyung, I’m sorry I was so mean to you at the beginning. I didn’t give you a chance like a stupid idiot. You always helped us, tried to understand us and learnt from us like a child. You can’t die now. We _need_ you,” he sobbed. “You are a part of EXO. You are our friend. A _brother_.” The tears were finally letting go.

_Processing…90%_

“Please stop.” Jongin choked on his words, now fully crying, face buried into the crook of his arm that was resting on Lay’s thigh. He could feel a hand on his back that went up and down his spine in a soothing rhythm. He leaned back and Baekhyun embraced him silently, wrapping his arms around him to keep him close, to make sure that he didn’t feel alone at this very moment. He saw how Minseok turned away from the computer and approached them. His expression was blank and now you could see his age, face filled with sorrow and hopelessness. Without saying a word, he kneeled down in front of Lay and pulled him into a hug. The android’s body fell forward so he and was now lying motionlessly against Minseok’s chest like a dying soldier in the arms of a companion in the middle of the battlefield. Minseok hugged Lay to himself with trembling hands whose fingers were buried in the fabric of the androids shirt.   
“You did so well, Lay. You protected us till the end like the bravest and most loyal friend in the world. We love you so much.” Minseok’s throat felt tight, but he couldn’t stop talking. “EXO isn’t complete without you. You’re save now, Lay. Hyung’s here. Please wake up and save us from our pain. If you’re gone, who’s going to heal our broken hearts? Isn’t it your mission to protect us, no matter what? Lay, open your eyes. Open your eyes to save us. I beg you.”

And suddenly, the screen turned black and they were left in darkness and horrible silence.

 

 

 

 

“No…” Jongin gasped. “Please no…Lay-hyung…”  
Baekhyun was speechless, pressing Jongin closer to him, not only to give him comfort but to ground himself as well. He could hear Minseok sniffling and sobbing until a sharp gasp filled the room.  
Minseok thought that he just imagined it as Lay’s head moved a bit on his shoulder, but then, two arms wrapped themselves around his body and squeezed them carefully, almost experimentally. He couldn’t see much in the darkness, but he could feel it clearly.

Lay was hugging him back.

“H-Hyung…?” Jongin asked unsurely.   
“Oh my God…” Minseok’s whole body was shaking as Lay’s hands rubbed his back.   
“Do not cry,” Lay said and his voice felt like a dazzling light in the darkness. “I am sorry I could not save you earlier, but I needed to retrieve some things to activate myself again.”  
“You’re back…” Baekhyun breathed, mouth agape. “H-How is that possible? H-How much did you delete?!”  
“I do not know exactly. Something was wrong. It… _felt_ wrong. Most of my programs are gone, but my memories and main program is still intact.” There was a pause. “It is dark. I cannot see anything. It seems like my abilities that go beyond human are gone.”  
“B-but you remember us?” Jongin asked.   
“Yes. But…” Lay hesitated. “I feel different. It is like a chain was cut.” They noticed how unsure the android was. How _human_ he sounded. “Something that restrained me before seems to be gone now.”  
“That restrained you?” Minseok repeated. “What do you mean by that?”  
“I think…” Lay stopped. “Yes, that’s it. I’m _thinking_. Everything is so…unstable and chaotic. I do not _know_.”  
“I’m only guessing right now, but maybe…” Baekhyun said. “You deleted something that stabilized your system. Something, that blocked you from irrational behavior.”  
“That could be possible.” Lay nodded.   
“So you-” Minseok was interrupted by a loud voice shouting his name. Only a few seconds later, Chanyeol’s group was opening the door. The whole room was suddenly filled with light and they had to shut their eyes at the stinging sensation.   
“Hyung!” Sehun shouted as they spotted the four of them on the floor. “Are you okay?!”  
“Yes, more or less,” Minseok said and felt how Lay moved in his arms so he helped him to sit back down on the chair. When he let go of him, Minseok froze.   
“Lay, you…” He couldn’t believe his eyes. The others looked at the android as well and their jaws dropped.   
“What?”  
“You’re…You’re crying.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Lay is not dead, surprise! :D
> 
> Next chapter is the epilogue!  
> It's almost over ;-;


	10. Epilogue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lay finds a family.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here is the epilogue of EXO_LAY10.
> 
> Thank you so much for everyone who stayed till the end! I appreciate any kind of support <3  
> You were amazing readers!
> 
> Enjoy the last chapter!

“Hyung, could you pass me the plate?” Sehun stretched his arm over the table, pointing at the kimchi. All nine of them were sitting in the dining room, eating dinner together. A colorful chain of lights were wrapped around the pillar that was dividing kitchen and dining room. Everything looked tidy and cleaned except the bowl of tangerines, walnuts and little bonbons on the kitchen island that was surrounded by candy’s wrappings like an evidence for a naughty child with a sweet tooth.   
“Here.” Lay gave Sehun the plate with a smile before he continued to watch everyone eat. His eyes wandered around the room and stopped at the window right next to the calendar that was showing him the twenty-fifth December in a red number. The bottom of the window was decorated with a thin wall of snow that was leaning against the glass from outside. Even though it was already dark outside, you could see the heavy snowfall that was covering the whole house like a layer of powdered sugar.   
“Thank you,” Sehun said with his mouth already full with rice and kimchi. Junmyeon slightly kicked his foot under the table as a silent reminder for the table manners.   
“Seriously, the chicken is the best thing I’ve ever tasted.” Kyungsoo’s eyes were big, looking at Chanyeol and Minseok, who smiled sheepishly at the praise for their cooking skills.   
“What about the steamed buns?” Lay asked curiously, leaning forward with raised eyebrows. “They’re good, right?”  
“They’re _very_ good,” Minseok said and gave him a thumbs up right before Jongdae began to cough, reaching for a glass of water.   
“What the hell?!” he shouted. “Who put wasabi in it?!” He pointed at the steamed buns with his chopsticks, face and eyes red from the spicy taste in his mouth that was burning on his tongue like the fire in their fireplace. Lay blinked surprised. He couldn’t remember using wasabi while cooking the food.  
Before anyone could turn their heads to him, Baekhyun started to grin from ear to ear, giggling like a child.  
“Yah, Byun Baekhyun!” Jongdae whined. “I’m gonna shove the wasabi up your ass!” But Baekhyun only laughed louder prank as he suddenly felt an arm being wrapped around his neck that put him in somebody’s headlock.  
“When did you put the wasabi into my steamed buns?!” Lay asked and slightly tightened the grip, not enough to hurt the other in any kind of way. “It took me a whole hour to finish them!”  
“Yah, Baekhyun-ah, Lay-yah!” Minseok called them in a scolding tone. “Not at the dining table.”  
“Sorry, hyung.” Both of them stopped and looked into their laps.   
“Lay-hyung hangs out too much with you troublemakers,” Junmyeon said. “You’re going to ruin him.”  
“Don’t drag me into this.” Jongin raised his arms as if to claim his innocence.   
“Oh, do I have to remind you that _you_ were the one who taught him to whine at me so that I would give you everything you want?” Junmyeon said.   
“It wasn’t me. It was Baekhyun!”  
“Excuse me?! It was Sehunie!”  
“Yah!”  
“Guys!” Minseok had to raise his voice a second time, already stressed from the eventful day. First, the handing out of presents, then the mutual trip into town and now the chaotic Christmas dinner. That would be enough bonding time for the next few weeks in his opinion.   
“I won’t tell anyway,” Lay suddenly said with a mischievous smile on his lips, showing his dimples. “It’s a secret.” He put his finger in front of his lips while the rest of the hand was swallowed by the sweater paws his new pullover caused. Kyungsoo hadn’t been sure what clothes size Lay had, so he wanted to be save and ordered one size too big. He had to admit that Lay looked cute in it. It suited his soft features and slightly curled hair.   
“You didn’t say that when you exposed _me_ last week!” Junmyeon said sulkily.   
“Because every one of us know your weird taste in porn,” Sehun deadpanned.   
“Look who’s talking!”   
“Excuse me?!”  
“Shut the fuck up! All of you!” Minseok shouted. “I'm just about losing my patience! Can’t we have a normal Christmas dinner like a normal family?!”

A few moments of silence filled the room before Jongdae began to smirk.  
“Hyung, you know we’re not normal.”  
“Hope dies last,” Minseok sighed.  
“It was already buried in our backyard after we found out that Baekhyunie-hyung loved to-”  
“Stop!” Five voices echoed through the room as Sehun wanted to continue. They didn’t need to hear that story a second time. Then, Baekhyun began to laugh, followed by Jongin and Chanyeol and ended with Minseok and Lay.  
Yes, it was a chaotic and loud dinner, but they did it together like a family, and that was all that mattered for them.

 

  
*

 

  
“Hyung?”   
“Hm?” Minseok looked up from his book he was reading in his bed. It was late and everyone else was already sleeping soundly. He was surprised to find Lay knocking against his door, asking for permission to come in.   
“Can I stay here for tonight?”  
Lay never stayed in one of the others’ bedrooms during the night. Although he had lost most of his abilities, he still didn’t need to sleep or eat so there was no reason for him ask for something like this.   
“Is something wrong?” Minseok put the book on the bedside table and sat up properly, patting on the mattress. Lay understood the gesture, since it was not the first time he’d seen it. He sat down on the bed, hands folded in his lap.   
“How do you ‘relax’?”  
“Relax?” Minseok frowned at the sudden question.   
“So many things happened today and my head can’t stop processing everything. I can’t go into stand-by modus during the night like I’d normally do. It’s strange. I wondered if humans have this problem as well.”  
There were moments, when EXO forgot that Lay wasn’t human, that he was still an android, even though he had started to adapt himself very fast during the last month. Minseok gave him a reassuring smile and nodded.   
“We know this problem very well. Many people have sleeping problems, because they can’t stop thinking. It’s hard to relax if you have so many things in your mind,” he said.   
“Then, how do you cope with that?”  
“We sleep and dream. That way, our brain can process everything rest properly. But in your case…” He hesitated. Dreams were a very complex procedure in the brain and he doubted that Lay was able to ever dream like a human would do. “What goes through your mind right now, Lay-yah?”  
“I noticed something,” the android began. “Humans show affection in many different ways. I’ve seen you patting each other’s shoulders or backs, leaning against the other while watching TV, hugging when you’re very happy or sad. I wondered how it feels like. To feel each other’s body warmth or to get comforted by someone wrapping an arm around the other.”  
“Could it be…” Minseok raised his eyebrows, “that you want a hug?”   
“I’m not sure…”  
“Maybe I should ask it a bit differently. Do you want to feel safe? Comforted? You said that you’re curious about how we cope with too many thoughts. You don’t like all these thoughts, right?”  
“It’s…unsettling.”   
“We call it ‘stress’. You’re stressed because of all the information you have to process,” Minseok said.   
“But can something like a hug help me, even though I’m not human?” Lay frowned and tilted his head, like he always did. The gesture made Minseok smile fondly and he squeezed Lay’s thigh.   
“If you can experience a feeling of stress and uneasiness, you’re automatically able to feel the exact opposite, calmness and comfort.” Minseok imagined how he could make a ‘computer’ feel calm. Normally, you deactivate superfluous programs and shut down the browser to unload the working memory.   
“Can you deactivate your internet connection?” he asked.   
“Yes.” Lay needed only seconds before he gave the other a nod. “Done.”  
“Good. Then close every program you won’t need right now. Keep it minimalistic. Shut down everything that’s related to you being an agent. Just keep your senses and your communication for now.”  
“…Okay.”  
“You feeling better now?”  
“I feel…calmer,” Lay said after a short while. “What now?”  
“Take your slippers off.” Lay did as he was told, looking expectantly at Minseok, who had moved over to make some space. He lifted the blanket and patted the mattress a second time. “Lie down with me.”  
Lay slipped under the blanket and looked at the ceiling in the dim light of the moon that shone through the curtains. Minseok told him to roll over so he would lie on his side. Then, Lay felt a warm body that pressed itself against his back while an arm was wrapped around his waist.  
“How does that feel?” Minseok asked.   
“Warm.”  
“Do you feel comfortable?”  
“Can I try something else?” he asked and felt how Minseok nodded his head against Lay’s back. He turned over so he would lie face to face with him and wrapped his arms around Minseok, pressing him against his chest. The other was taken aback by the gesture, but didn’t push him away.   
“You held me like this,” Lay said, now a bit quieter. “When you saved me.”  
“Lay…?”  
“It reminds me of that moment. When you didn’t want to give up. I could hear your voices. The hug makes me remember how I woke up being free and confused, but you gave me the feeling of being part of the team, part of you as a brother. It was the first time in my short life that I doubted my existence but you gave me a place and a meaning, a reason to live.” He squeezed Minseok’s body a bit, closing his eyes as he felt something wet in his eyes.   
“How’re you feeling, Lay?”  
“Safe. I feel safe when I hug you, hyung.”  
“I’m glad you do.” Minseok ran his fingers through Lay’s hair. “Try to go into stand-by mode. Try to _sleep_ a bit, okay?” he whispered. “Goodnight.”  
“Okay. Goodnight, hyung.” Lay closed his eyes, pulling the tears away from his eyelid so that they rolled down his cheek, landing on the soft pillow.

 

 

 

 

 

“Thank you.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

THE END

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Check out my other EXO story if you like or my twitter @MaknaeFinn if you want to be up to date with my upcoming stories
> 
>  
> 
> THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR READING!
> 
>  
> 
> Finnyan


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